


Rest In Pieces

by plaguewind



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drug Use, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-11-04 11:56:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10990443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plaguewind/pseuds/plaguewind
Summary: Sansa Stark lives a quiet life with her husband Harry and her five-year-old daughter Maddie, far removed from where she used to be as an undercover FBI agent. That is until a ghost from her past returns, Petyr Baelish. Sansa finds herself torn between the love of her life and the man who has taken care of her for the last five years with little Maddie caught in the middle.(Tags, characters, and warnings may be added as the story moves on.)





	1. Ghosts

“Hurry up, Maddie,” Sansa called up the stairs to her five-year-old daughter. “We’re gonna be late.”

“I can’t find my Disney Princess shoes mommy,” the child called back.

“Wear your Frozen shoes instead, they’re princesses too.”

“But I don’t want those.”

“Madalyn Hardyng, get your butt down here right now!” Sansa brought her fingers to squeeze the bridge of her nose. She loved her daughter to death but sometimes she drove her crazy.

Sansa’s husband Harry came down the hallway from the kitchen, carrying his briefcase “Do you need help, babe?”

“No, I got her.”

“Good, because I’m late.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and went out the door.

Sansa looked up to the top of the stairs just in time to see Maddie coming down, her Bratz backpack slung over one shoulder. It was so hard to be angry with her, all it took was a look and Sansa broke, those piercing green eyes and black hair working highly in Maddie’s favor.

“You’re a pain sometimes, you know that?” 

Maddie grinned. “I know but you love me.”

“I do, now let’s get going.”

Maddie’s school wasn’t far, only about ten minutes from the house. When the patrol opened the door for Maddie to climb out, she leaned over and gave her mother a big hug and a kiss.

“I’ll see you later, Mommy.”

“Daddy’s picking you up from aftercare because I have to go grocery shopping so I’ll see you at the house this evening.”

“Okay, I love you.”

“I love you too sweetie, have a good day at school.”

 

When Sansa pulled up in front of her book store she was glad to see Arya already had the open sign turned around and the door was unlocked. She was glad she was there period since a lot of mornings she showed up late. It was hard working with family because even when she pissed her off she felt obligated not to fire her. Arya was leaning on the front counter playing on her phone when Sansa walked in.

“You’re up early.”

Her younger sister rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me. Gendry’s snoring kept me up most of the night. Can I go home early today?”

“Arya, just because you got here _on time_ does not mean you can go home early.”

“Uuughhh. But I’m so tired.”

“Come back and talk to me about being tired after you two have some kids,” Sansa called out, making her way to her office in the back of the store. She loved walking through her store, the smell of the books, old and new, hitting her with a wonderful waft of nostalgia. 

She sat her bag down on her desk, opened her laptop and set to work. She always reviewed her sales first, like clockwork, and afterward she would check her emails and the status of her orders. It honestly didn’t take too long unless there was a problem. Afterward she would go up front and sit with Arya and they would chat or read, taking care of customers in between. It wasn’t the busiest book store, what with the local competition being Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million but she had her own set of loyal customers that preferred the quiet of her little store and giving their money to a local owner. When Harry had first bought it for her she had told him it would be a huge mistake, that they wouldn’t make enough profit to stay afloat with such well-known competitors, but the locals had surprised her. It was her little gem and she loved coming to work every day, being her own boss, making her own schedule and it was a lot safer than her former career. 

“Ygritte thinks she’s pregnant,” Arya said, later as they sat in the front of the store.

“When did she tell you that?”

“She just texted me. She doesn’t wanna tell Jon until she’s sure.”

“I don’t blame her. He’s wanted a baby for so long it would be a shame to get his hopes up only to dash them.” Jon was their cousin who still lived back in England but they kept in constant contact. He had been raised with them so he was basically a brother. 

“I wish mom and dad were still here. They’d love grand babies. Can you imagine how spoiled Maddie would be if dad were around?”

“Oh God,” Sansa said, smiling at the idea. “She would be intolerable.” It was a pleasant thought but Sansa felt a pang of grief hit her. Even after all these years she had never gotten over the loss of her parents or her older brother Robb, it had just gotten easier to deal with. 

“What are we eating for lunch?” Arya asked.

“I don’t care. You wanna just order a pizza?”

“Wow...pizza? Are you feeling okay, Miss Health Nut?”

“I like pizza.”

“I know you like pizza but you rarely eat it.”

“Well, I haven’t put trash in my body in a while so I can make an allowance for today.”

Of course customers began trickling in as soon as the pizza arrived, it never failed. By the time Sansa was able to grab a slice it was cold and half of it was gone. She was amazed how much her sister could eat for such a tiny girl.

At around three o’clock Sansa decided she was going to call it a day and leave Arya to close up shop, that way she’d get a head start to the grocery store and get home at around the same time as Harry and Maddie.

“That’s no fair,” Arya objected. “I got here before you.”

“It’s perfectly fair because I’m the boss and I make the rules. Make sure you record sales in the book before you leave and don’t forget to lock up.” She was out the door before Arya had a chance to complain further. As she dug in her purse for her keys she got the strangest sensation that she was being watched and she looked up to see if her sister was looking out the windows but she wasn’t. Through the glass Sansa could see Arya slouched over the counter staring at her phone screen.

She looked up and down the street, her old instincts kicking in. There was no one around, at least she didn’t think so, until her she caught sight of someone sitting in a car across the street. The vehicle was running, she could hear the quiet purr of the engine and despite the windows being tinted, she could just see a lone figure inside, though she was unable to make out any features. 

“You’re being ridiculous,” she said to herself. She found her keys and hopped in her vehicle.

 

Sansa took her time at the grocery store, browsing the isles. She _was_ a bit of a health nut but it wasn’t because she didn’t like the bad foods, she just wanted Maddie to learn to eat healthy while she was still young and not stuck in her ways. Harry could be difficult at times but she had told him they couldn’t expect their daughter to make good food choices if they didn’t set an example and make them themselves. He had caved though she knew he kept snacks hidden in his office.

She decided on a salmon and orange sauce for dinner, with roasted asparagus and a tomato and cucumber salad. Feeling satisfied with her choice she headed for the checkout to pay. She joked with the cashier, donated to the March Of Dimes, and was on her way. In the parking lot she unlocked the back hatch to her SUV and began loading her bags in, humming to the old Journey song that had been playing in the market and was now stuck in her head.

“Would you like some help loading those, Sweetling?”

The smooth, silky voice came from behind her and even without the use of the old nickname she would have known exactly who it belonged to. Except that it wasn’t possible. He was dead. She turned slowly and grey-green eyes and a smirk met her. 

“Oh my God,” she said, her hand coming to her mouth. She stumbled backwards, weak in the knees, dropping the bags in her hands, and thankfully the edge of the SUV was there to catch her. For a moment she thought she was seeing things...that maybe she was going crazy but he was no hallucination. He looked real enough and when he stepped forward and reached to steady her she knew he was real, the touch of his fingers searing into her skin.

“Sansa? Are you okay?”

She felt dizzy, she felt nauseous. A thousand emotions seemed to hit her all at once. Leaning forward she braced herself on her knees, attempting to breath evenly. When she felt more in control of her body one emotion in particular took over her. Anger. She jumped up, shaking his hands off her, and placing her hands on his chest she gave him a hard shove backwards.

“Whoa, Sweetling, calm down.”

“Calm down? CALM DOWN? Are you serious? You were dead.”

“Sansa, I know this is a surprise but there’s a lot I need to tell you. Let’s go somewhere where we can talk.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said, picking up the bags she had dropped from the ground and throwing them in the back of her vehicle.

Five years. Five years had passed since his “death” and not a single word. She was so angry she could kill him herself if it wouldn’t land her in prison. All of the tears she had cried...how she had wanted to die with him. He had put her through all of that and now he stood there telling her to calm down.

“Sansa,” he reached for her hand but she jerked it away. “Please, would you just listen to me?”

“Not a chance. Crawl back to whatever hell you came from and leave me alone,” she said, climbing into her vehicle and taking off.

The tears she had been fighting streamed down her face as she drove away from him and she knew undoubtedly that when she had felt she was being watched that it was him. How could he still be alive? She had seen the wound at his head...all of the blood, she had felt for a pulse.

“Son-of-a-bitch,” she said through her sobs, banging on the steering wheel. “How could he do this to me?”

 

_“You look stunning this evening, Sweetling. Dance with me.”_

_Her mark’s grey-green eyes had a way of devouring her, as if she were a steak and he were a starving man. Her blues met his with a challenge, though inside she was feeling a bit flustered. “I’m not here as your date, Mr. Baelish. I’m your personal assistant.”_

_“And you will assist me as I deem necessary. Come.” He held out his hand to her and she succumbed, taking it._

_The minute his long, thin fingers came into contact with her own she felt a spark of electricity, goose pimples erupting on her flesh. If he noticed he didn’t say anything, pulling her out onto the floor and leading her to the slow tempo. He held one hand on the small of her back, pressing her body firmly against his own, the closeness immediately igniting a fire in the pit of her stomach._

_Sansa had seen pictures of Petyr Baelish when she had been assigned to the case but in all of them he was wearing sunglasses and his head was lowered or he wasn’t facing the camera at all. Needless to say she was not prepared for how attractive he was. At forty-four years old he had grey at his temples, striking against his black hair, and his mustache and goatee were salt and peppered. His body was thin and youthful, he dressed well and carried himself with the grace and poise of a man who was not only secure in his power, but also confident that people feared him._

_“Are you enjoying yourself?” Petyr asked._

_“I’m working.”_

_He smirked. “You’re impossible, Miss Stone. Tell you what, for the remainder of the evening you are released from duty, no longer on the clock.”_

_“Does that mean I can leave if I wish to?” she asked, an eyebrow raised._

_He bit his bottom lip, shaking his head. “No but you are to relax and try and have a good time.”_

_“You’re giving me orders. So I am still on the clock?”_

_“Fine. Then I order you to enjoy yourself.” He leaned his face closer and brought his lips to her ear. “Just let go.”_

_Sansa could feel his breath against her neck and her body was reacting, that fire in her stomach spreading lower, invoking an insistent throbbing between her legs. She cursed herself internally. This was her job and he was her target, she wasn’t supposed to be getting all hot and bothered but her body kept betraying her._

_“Alright, Mr. Baelish, as you wish. I think I’ll go have a few drinks.”_

_She left him standing alone on the dance floor, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. Sansa sat down at the bar and ordered a long island iced tea, wondering if drinking was a good idea. She’d been undercover as Alayne Stone for two months and during that time Petyr Baelish had been pushing the boundaries further and further with each passing day, touching her more frequently, his hands lingering longer and longer. From the moment she had interviewed to be his personal assistant she had known that he was attracted to her, his eyes unabashedly drinking in every inch of her form, and his vulgar gaze made her feel as though she were completely naked. He wasn’t the type of man she was normally attracted to, firstly because he was twenty-one years her senior but also because he was a bad man. Head of a crime syndicate, brothel keep...murderer. He was a criminal._

_“Sitting here all alone is going to entice some fellow to take you home with him,” Petyr said, leaning against the bar and facing Sansa._

_“So did you come over to keep the bad men away?”_

_“No, I came over to take you home with me.”_

_Sansa felt the blood rush to her face, no doubt reddening her cheeks. The alcohol wasn’t helping either, it was getting entirely too hot in the room. “I don’t think that’s a good idea Mr. Baelish. I didn’t think you mixed business with pleasure anyway.”_

_“You’re right my dear, I usually don’t but it’s hard to resist a creature as exquisite as yourself.”_

_“Well it’s a good thing that I can resist then isn’t it?”_

_He grinned._

_They had a few more drinks and decided it was time to leave. She had rode with Petyr to the party but he refused to let her call an Uber to get home and insisted that his driver would swing by her apartment and drop her off. There was no point in arguing with him. Alone in the backseat with him, Sansa’s heart seemed to beat so quickly she thought it would burst out of her chest. She prayed silently that he wouldn’t try anything because she was not certain she could continue to refuse him. Not only because she was becoming increasingly attracted to him but also because she knew that she would have to do whatever it took to get closer to him, even if it meant sleeping with him._

_Her prayers were not answered. He turned sideways in his seat, his body inclined to her own and ran the back of his forefinger down her cheek. “You are so beautiful.”_

_Sansa, feeling herself blushing again, avoided his gaze and looked down at her lap, her fingers fidgeting with one another. He had leaned in so close she could smell his breath...mint and wine._

_“The things I could do to you...” he whispered._

_“Mr. Baelish...”_

_“Call me Petyr.” He placed a hand on each side of her face and brought his lips to hers._

_His lips were just as soft as they looked and his facial hair tickled slightly. At first Sansa couldn’t move, she couldn’t even think. He broke the chaste kiss and looked into her eyes, still holding her face. “Do I frighten you, Sweetling?”_

_“No,” she lied. She was afraid of him. Not only because he was a bad man but because of how he made her feel...how her body screamed for more whenever he touched her._

_He kissed her again but this time she reciprocated, parting her lips and granting him entrance. When his tongue touched hers she felt every nerve inside her tingle. Her hands had a mind of their own, reaching behind his head and running her fingers through the soft hair at the nape of his neck which further encouraged him and he deepened the kiss. The place between her legs was throbbing with need and she could feel it begin to dampen with her desire. One of his hands trailed down over her jaw and moved slowly down her neck, then further still until he reached her breast, cupping it with a gentle squeeze. He rubbed his thumb back and forth over her hardening nipple, eliciting a low moan from her into his mouth._

_Up front the driver cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I hate to interrupt but we’ve arrived at Miss Stone’s apartment.”_

_Only then did they end their kiss, Petyr stealing a few more nips of her bottom lip before pulling away completely. Sansa hadn’t even realized the vehicle had come to a stop. She was dizzy and breathless and it felt like a sauna inside the vehicle now._

_“Thanks for the ride,” she said, gathering her purse._

_“Oh it was my pleasure...and yours too it would seem.” He had a triumphant smirk on his face, his eyes raking her body up and down. “Goodnight, Miss Stone.”_

_“Goodnight, Mr. Baelish.”_

_In her apartment Sansa collapsed onto the sofa, her breathing finally evening out. She had known what going undercover meant, she had known that she would have to do whatever it took to get close to the man but she had not expected to enjoy it. She had not expected to want it...to want him. But as she lay there, her sex still throbbing with need at the memory of his kiss, of his hand on her breast...she could not deny the truth of it. What was she going to do?_

 

“Yaaaay, Mommy’s home,” Maddie shouted, running to greet Sansa as she came through the front door.

“Hi, sweet heart.”

“Let me help you with those,” Harry said, walking over and taking the bags from her hands. He was about to give her a kiss but stopped when he seen her face. “Babe, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied, praying her voice did not tremble.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay, my stomach is a little upset. I had pizza for lunch.”

“Oh wow. No wonder.” He gave her a peck on the lips. “I’ll take these to the kitchen.”

“You had pizza, Mommy? That’s no fair. I want pizza.”

Sansa crouched down so that she was at eye level with her five-year old. “You know what, I’m really not that hungry so maybe I’ll order you and Daddy a pizza and I’ll make the salmon another night.”

“Yesss!” Maddie wrapped her arms around Sansa’s neck and Sansa thought she would burst into tears again. She held them off long enough for the girl to let go and run tell her Daddy they were getting pizza, then Sansa took her chance and scurried upstairs to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

She sat on the edge of the bed she shared with Harry, shaking. How could Petyr be alive? And how could he do this to her, showing up after all this time. He should have just let her be, let her continue thinking he was dead and live her life as it was but she knew that would not happen now. Sure, she had told him to crawl back into whatever hell he had come out of but he wouldn’t. If there was one thing she knew about Petyr Baelish it was that once he set his sights on something he would not stop until he got it. No, she would definitely see him again.

 

_“Have a seat, Miss Stone.”_

_Sansa smoothed her dress and slowly sat down on the sofa in his office, wondering why she had been called in. Normally if he needed her for something or to do something he had no problem texting it to her or telling her over the phone but this time he had demanded her presence right away with no explanation. Her heart rapidly picked up it’s pace, something about is demeanor was making her feel uneasy. Blue eyes followed him as he crossed the room and sat next to her on the sofa._

_“Would you like a drink?”_

_“No thank you.”_

_“You’re probably wondering why I brought you in today.” She nodded, maintaining eye contact. Something wasn’t right. “Well you see, I received some very disturbing news.”_

_“About what, sir?”_

_He sucked at his teeth, leaning back into the sofa before answering. “I think you already know...don’t you Miss...Stark?”_

_Sansa’s heart dropped into her stomach. He knew. Her first instinct was to jump and run but that wouldn’t make any sense, he would run after her, he may even have a gun on him. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, willing herself to stay calm. “How did you find out?”_

_“I have my ways. Do you think that all of the people who are on my payroll are gangsters, Sansa?”_

_The use of her true name on his liips was startling, almost menacing. “What happens now? Are you going to kill me?”_

_“Oh no, Sweetling. I am going to keep you. You are going to continue reporting to your boss at the FBI and I want you to bring any information they give you straight back to me.”_

_“What if I refuse?”_

_He grinned but it was not a happy grin, it was malicious. “You won’t refuse because it’s what I want.” He put a hand on her knee and she flinched involuntarily. “And I always get what I want.”_

 

“Sansa?” Harry called, making his way up the stairs.

She quickly went into their adjoining bathroom and closed the door. He couldn’t see her crying and shaking. How would she explain?

“Hey babe...where are you?”

“In the bathroom. I’m okay, my stomach is still upset.” 

“You must not be okay, Maddie said you told her we could order pizza.”

“Yeah, there’s no way I can eat like this, so you guys just order a pizza and I’ll make the salmon tomorrow night.”

“Okay. Are you sure you’re alright?” Even from the other side of the door she could envision the concerned look knotting his eyebrows together.

“I’ll be okay.” She whispered it again to herself, hoping it was true.


	2. Wanting

Look at me, my depth perception must be off again  
'Cause this hurts deeper than I thought it did  
It has not healed with time  
It just shot down my spine  
You look so beautiful tonight  
Remind me how you laid us down  
And gently smiled before you destroyed my life  
Would you find it in your heart?  
To make this go away  
And let me rest in pieces (Let me rest in pieces)

Sansa kept her sunglasses on all morning. When she had looked at her reflection and seen how puffy her eyes were she knew it was obvious she had been crying. Luckily Harry had had to be at work early and left before she had gotten out of bed, so the only person she had to avoid was Maddie, which was easy. She only had to tell her she was trying to look cool and the child bought it instantly. Arya wasn’t so easy.

“What’s up the with shades?” she asked, as Sansa entered the book store, looking over her shoulder and all around her.

“Headache. Light’s hurting my eyes,” she lied. “Have we had anyone in here yet?”

“Some old guy.”

“What did he look like?” 

“He looked like an old guy, why does it matter?”

“It doesn’t.” Sansa remembered that she had showed Arya a picture of Petyr, she would likely recognize him. “Did he buy anything?”

“Bought some book on gardening.”

Sansa nodded and went back to her office to go over the previous day’s sales and check the tracking on her latest shipment. She found herself reading the same email over and over again, not retaining a single word. Petyr Baelish kept popping back into her head, how would he not? All morning she had been looking over her shoulder expecting to see him, deep down _wanting_ to see him. What was she to do? She had planned on telling no one what had happened but she desperately needed to talk about it. 

With her mind made up she took off the sunglasses and walked back to the front of the store, making a bee-line for the door and flipping the Open sign to Closed. 

“What are you doing?” Arya asked.

“I need to talk about something,” Sansa said, turning to face her sister.

“Jesus, you look awful. You’ve been crying. Oh no...you’re going to fire me aren’t you and you were up all night crying because you felt guilty?”

“No, don’t be stupid.”

“Oh.” The look of panic vanished from Arya’s face replaced with one of confusion. “Well, what is it? Did you and Harry get into a fight or something?”

“No. Let’s sit down. I need to sit down.” She walked over to the sofa by the window that she kept for customers to sit and read on. Arya came from behind the counter and joined her. 

“What is it, Sansa? You’re starting to freak me out. More than usual I mean.”

Sansa took a deep breath. “Petyr Baelish isn’t dead.”

“What? What do you mean? How is that possible? Wasn’t he shot in the head?”

“Yeah..or at least I thought so. I mean I didn’t see it happen. I just heard the gunshot from the other room and ran in.”

“But you said he didn’t have a pulse.”

“He didn’t. I’m sure of it. But fuck I’m sure they make things that can make a person appear to be dead.”

“Are you sure?”

“Arya, I’m positive. He’s here, in town. He came up to me last night in the parking lot at the grocery store. He’s alive.”

Arya’s chin dropped, her mouth momentarily agape. “HO-LY shit.”

Sansa sighed, feeling somewhat relieved. At least she wasn’t the only one who knew this secret anymore. “I don’t know what to do...I don’t know what to think.”

“Did you tell him about Maddie?”

“No, are you crazy? I pushed him, told him to go to hell, and left him standing there. I’m so mad at him it’s not even funny. He _faked_ his death and disappeared for five years without so much as one word. I was devasted...it took me forever to get over it.”

“I remember. You were a wreck.” Sansa and Arya had always been rivals in a way, bickering and arguing but when Petyr had died Arya had been a rock, keeping Sansa grounded. “Did he say why?”

“I didn’t really give him a chance to explain. He’ll be back though, I’m sure he will.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to tell him that it’s over. That I’m with Harry now and he needs to leave me alone.” Arya had a funny look on her face. “What?”

“You gotta tell him about Maddie.”

Sansa shook her head. “The hell I do. No way. Not happening.”

“Sansa. You have to. He has a right to know and so does she for that matter.”

“What, so he can hurt her too? It’s not like he can stay and take her on trips to the zoo. He’s a wanted criminal, he’ll never be free.” 

“I know, I do but...she’s his child. He didn’t even know you were pregnant. Look, I’m not defending the creep but if it was you wouldn’t you want to know?”

Sansa did not answer. She stared at the floor feeling completely and utterly at a loss. Was she being selfish, keeping her daughter from his father because of how terribly he had hurt her? No...she was right. He wouldn’t be able to stay, he would have to disappear again and she would rather not put Maddie through that. 

“Sans? Are you alright?”

“No,” she answered and it came out in sobs as the tears began to stream down her face again. God, she had thought she couldn’t cry anymore.

Arya scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Sansa’s shoulders. “Do you still love him?”

The question seemed to make her cry harder. “I don’t know...I don’t know.” But she knew.

 

_Sansa climbed into the backseat of the car beside Petyr and closed the door. “Did they suspect anything?”_

_“I don’t think so. I was well composed.”_

_“Good girl,” he said with a smirk._

_Sansa waited patiently for what he would say next or what he would do next. He had not touched her since finding out her true identity and she wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or saddened._

_“Are you finished with me?”_

_He pursed his lips. “In what way?” Her cheeks reddened and she looked away from him. “You don’t have to keep pretending, Sansa. I know you were only acting like you wanted me because it was part of your job. A woman like you would never want me. Isn’t that right, Sweetling?”_

_“No...I...” She couldn’t finish because she knew she shouldn’t want him. Her brain screamed at her to let it go, he was no good but she remembered how his touch and his kiss had made her feel and how she craved it more and more with every passing day._

_“What was that? I don’t think I caught it.”_

_She shook her head and refused his gaze, opting to look out the window instead. He moved so quickly across the seat and grabbed her by the chin, turning her face to look at him, that it startled her. “Look. At. Me. When. I. Speak. To. You.” Sansa couldn’t stop her bottom lip from trembling. “Are you scared? Don’t be. I could take you right here and now but as it happens I get no satisfaction out of taking unwilling women.”_

_With every ounce of courage she possessed she stared him down. “I am not unwilling.”_

_For a moment he said nothing, staring back, trying to read her eyes. His face was so close to her own he would have only had to go forward an inch or so to bring his lips to hers and her heart raced as she thought he might. But he did not._

_“Liar,” he said, letting go of her face and moving back to the other side of the seat._

_Sansa wanted to cry, she had always been a sensitive girl but she wasn’t a girl anymore, and this wasn’t high school. She held her head high promising herself she would survive this mess no matter what._

 

Sansa and Arya closed up shop together, Sansa scanning up and down the street for any sign of Petyr Baelish.

“He’s not here,” Arya said, noticing what her sister was doing.

“No, not yet. But he will be.”

“Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow. And think about what I said.”

The evening went on without incident. She made her family the salmon dinner that she had promised, made sure Maddie bathed and brushed her teeth, then read her a story and tucked her in at bed time.

Sansa stood in the doorway watching her daughter sleep for the longest time, just thinking. Maddie was Petyr’s, there was no doubt at all, one look at her and he would know. She had his piercing grey-green eyes and black hair, his elegant features. She was the most beautiful, precious thing to come from a love that was doomed from the start.

Harry had been good to both of them, taking on the responsibility of a father even though the child wasn’t his. He was a good man and a good provider and she did love him but not in the same way as she had loved Petyr. She had never told Harry much about Petyr. Only that she had met him when she worked for the FBI and he was dead. Harry had thought that maybe they should tell Maddie about her biological father but Sansa thought it best not to, since there was nothing good to tell.

She shook her head, disagreeing with herself. That wasn’t true at all. Who _was_ she really protecting? 

 

At seven-thirty the next morning the doorbell rang. Harry had already zoomed out the door and Sansa was gathering her things, waiting for Maddie to get dressed. Her heart skipped a beat. Who would be calling so early? She made for the door, hesitating before opening it, then took a deep breath and exhaled. She opened the door and sure enough, Petyr Baelish stood on her front stoop.

She had been so shocked and upset before she hadn’t taken much time to examine his appearance but now she looked him over, up and down. He was well dressed as always, in black slacks and a black button down shirt open at the neck with the sleeves rolled up. The grey at his temples had spread, leaving him salt and peppered all over. He still wore his mustache and goatee but his jaws, cheeks and neck had a few days scruff on them. Time had been kind to him. His body appeared to be in just as good shape as before, his face barely showing a trace of age save for the few lines around his eyes. Still incredibly good-looking.

“Sansa,” he said.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to you. I waited until...is he your husband? Well, I waited until I seen him leave.”

“Yes. He is my husband and you have absolutely no business being here.”

“Mommy, I’m ready. Where are you?” came Maddie’s voice from inside the house.

Sansa cracked the door. “I’m outside honey. I’ll be there in a second.”

She looked back at Petyr. He pursed his lips, classic Petyr expression. “You have a child?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. “I see you’ve moved on with your life.”

“I did. I had to.” She hoped he heard the anger in her voice. He had left her no choice, what did he expect?”

“I know. I understand. Can we talk some time? Not now but when you aren’t busy.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I think we should just let it be.” No more than the words were out of her mouth the door to the house opened behind her and Maddie stepped out. Sansa instinctively wrapped her arm around the girl and pulled her against her, as if to shield her from some hurt.

“Mommy, I’m ready. Who’s he?”

When Sansa looked at Petyr she wanted to die. The expression on his face said everything. In a moment she seen curiosity, wonder, and sadness pass through his eyes. He held it together though, as he always did, composing himself and crouching down so he was at Maddie’s level.

“I am Petyr, an old friend of your mom. And who might you be?”

“I’m Maddie.”

“How old are you Maddie?”

“I’m five, Mr. Petyr.”

He smiled, a truly genuine smile and Sansa's heart ached. “Well, Maddie, I have to say, you are the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. And I bet your Mommy loves you very much.”

Maddie giggled. “She does.”

“Go inside, sweetie. I’ll be in in a second.” Sansa ushered her daughter back through the door and turned back to Petyr. He stood back up and his hands went to his face, rubbing up and over through his hair. When his eyes met hers again they looked almost teary.

“She’s mine.” It wasn’t a question.

She nodded, there was no point in denying it. Maddie looked too much like him. “I was about to tell you but I wanted to be sure. Then you...”

“I was gone,” he finished. For a moment neither of them said anything, just looked at each other, words hanging in the air. Finally Petyr spoke. “Does she know? I mean, does she know your husband isn’t her real father?” Sansa shook her head. “Does he know?”

“Yes. He knows.”

“He must be a good guy.”

“He is.”

“Good. I’m happy for you.” He seemed as though he wanted to say more but he turned and began walking back down the walkway.

Sansa knew she should just let him go, let by-gones be by-gones. But she couldn’t. “Petyr. Wait.” He turned, waiting for her to speak. “This evening. Meet me at my book store when we close.” 

He nodded. He knew where it was, he had been watching her there. Then he left with no further words spoken.

 

At five o’clock Sansa and Arya turned the sign to Closed and stepped out. Petyr was waiting, standing against a BMW. He’d always had excellent taste in vehicles.

“Are you okay?” Arya asked, while they were still out of earshot from him.

“Yeah. Don’t worry.”

“Ya know, as creepy as he is I can’t deny that he is hot as fuck.”

“Shuuut up!”

Arya bit her lip, curling it. “Sorry. Good luck sis.”

Sansa left her sister and crossed the street to where Petyr stood. He opened the passenger side door for her and she climbed in. 

“Where do you wanna go?” he asked.

“I don’t care.”

“My hotel room?”

“No.”

“So you do care?”

“Just drive.”

Riding with him, next to him, as he smoothly shifted gears, brought back so many memories she could hardly bear it. Harry couldn’t even drive a stick but Petyr was a man who always liked to be in control. In the end he brought them to the ocean and neither of them said a word as they exited the vehicle and walked out onto the pier. Petyr leaned against the railing, the wind from the water blowing his hair back, and Sansa mimicked him, doing the same, the air from the sea cool against her face.

“This place suits you,” he said.

“How?”

“Small town but on the edge of a vast ocean so you can still feel free. Makes sense.”

“How did you find me?”

“It wasn’t hard. I know people.”

“You always did.”

“You left the FBI.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

There were too many answers to that question. “Because I knew that no matter what I did I couldn’t change the fact that they were gone.”

“You couldn’t change it if you’d stayed.”

“What do you want me say, Petyr? That I left because of you? Fine. I left after you died. I left because I was no longer capable of doing my job.” Her frustration was getting the best of her, her anger swelling once again. “What did you want to talk to me about? Just get on with it.”

He turned to face her, resting his elbow on the railing. “I thought I was protecting you.”

“That’s bullshit.” She moved to walk away, to run. But he grabbed her arm. Oh fuck he grabbed my arm! The touch of his fingers stilling her in an instant.

“You were my weakness. They were going to kill you to get to me. You were safe if I was dead. Don’t you understand that?”

She shook her head. “Five years. Five years, Petyr. You could have contacted me, I wouldn’t have told a soul you were alive.”

“It was too dangerous,” he argued.

“You didn’t trust me. You still didn’t trust me.”

“That’s not true.”

She pulled from his grasp reluctantly and walked back down the pier. He chased after her.

“Let me take you back to your car at least.”

“No. I’ll get there on my own. Just leave me alone.”

He stopped, staring after her and she left him standing there on his own, just as he had left her.


	3. His Arms

Instead of calling an Uber Sansa texted Arya and asked if she would come and take her to her car. She replied immediately and said she would be there in a flash. In the meantime Sansa started walking up the main road that she knew Arya would come down. Her feet carried her quickly, fueled by anger and pain...so many other things as well. It was hard to walk away from him, from the man she had yearned to see again one last time. A part of her felt like she was walking away from her own heart. She heard a vehicle coming up behind her and she quickened her pace, knowing she couldn’t possibly out walk a car.

Petyr’s BMW slowed down and the window rolled down. “Sansa, will you get in the car?”

“No way,” she said, shaking her head furiously.

“Stop being so stubborn and let me take you to you car. Sansa...please.”

The please did it. She stopped walking and he braked and for a few seconds she just stared at him before finally opening the door and climbing into the car. She sent Arya a quick text telling her not to worry about the ride.

“Thank you,” Petyr said, putting the car in gear and taking off.

“Whatever.”

He sighed irritably but let it go. “Listen, I wanted to ask you...could I spend some time with Maddie? Get to know her.”

“No way. Are you insane? You can’t stay and she’ll just get her heart broken.”

“No, she won’t. You don’t have to tell her I’m her father and I won’t either. She can keep thinking I’m your friend but I’d just like the chance to get to know my daughter.”

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

“Sansa...what would I have to gain from not keeping it? I didn’t come here to hurt her. Or _you_ for that matter, despite what you might think.”

Sansa didn’t know what to say, she just knew she absolutely did not want Maddie to get hurt. But if they just let her believe Petyr was Sansa’s friend maybe there wouldn’t be any harm in it. Though she would have to explain to Harry and she wasn’t sure exactly how he would take it. Not only because he didn’t know the whole truth about Petyr but also because for the last five years he had been Maddie’s Daddy, and she knew in his heart he felt like her father. Would he feel like his toes were being stepped on?

They were back in front of the book store and Petyr parked the car behind Sansa’s SUV. “Will you think about it at least?” he asked.

“I guess I can do that.”

“Good. Great. I’m staying at the Motel 6, room 106. Take my number.”

She brought her phone out and typed in the digits as he called them out to her, then hit ‘store’. “I better get home, Petyr.”

“Yeah, of course.” He hopped out of the car and walked around to open her door for her, always the gentlemen. When she stepped out and stood she was face to face with him, the closest their bodies had been since he had come back. Her eyes met his and she immediately looked away, avoiding them, but before she registered what was happening he brought his hand up, his fingers turning her chin back towards him gently. “You are still so beautiful, Sweetling,” he said softly.

Her heart raced and she felt tears brimming around her eyes, she blinked them away. “I have to go,” her voice trembled. _Why did he have to touch me? Why did he have to call me that?_ “I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.”

“Thank you, Sansa.”

She only nodded and he stepped aside for her to go. Once she was in her car she called Arya and asked her if she could watch Maddie for a little while. She was going to have to tell Harry everything and she didn’t want to do it where her daughter could possibly overhear. When she pulled up in front of her home Arya’s car was already there so she went inside to get Harry. Needless to say he was confused, he could tell that she had been crying and when she had told him to come with her because they needed to talk away from Maddie, he became worried.

“What’s going on?” he asked once they were inside the car and it was moving. “You come home crying and now you wanna talk about something that can’t be talked about near our daughter.”

“Let me get somewhere and park.”

“I can’t wait that long.”

“Please Harry, it’s a long story.”

She could tell he wanted to say something but he swallowed any objections he had. She drove back to the bookstore, deciding a restaurant or other public place was not a good venue for the conversation they were about to have. Once they were inside and the lights were on Harry spoke again. 

“Okay Sansa, I’ve waited long enough. Please tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I am, let’s sit down.” She sat on the sofa and he took a seat beside her but he did not relax, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was still in his shirt and work slacks, his tie hung loosely around his neck and he looked wrought with worry, not even having enough time to change before she sprung this on him. There was no easy way to start this conversation so she took a deep breath and jumped into it. “It’s about Maddie’s father.”

Harry’s blue eyes looked confused. “What about him?”

“He’s not dead. He’s very much alive and he’s here in town.”

For a second he just stared at her as if he had not understood a word she had said. Then suddenly he stood up, running his hands through his hair. “Jesus Christ. How is that even possible?”

“He faked it somehow. I mean I seen blood but I didn’t see the actual shot, just heard it.”

“What the fuck? Why? Why would he fake his death?”

This was going to be the really hard part. “I never exactly told you everything about him. Or about our relationship.” He stood, looking into her eyes for answers, waiting for her to give them to him. “He was the head of a crime syndicate.”

“Syndicate? You mean like mafia?”

“So to speak but they don’t really call it that anymore. I went undercover and got a job as his personal assistant, to get close to him. To get information that could bring him down.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake. All this time I just assumed he was a coworker.” His voice was getting louder but she could hardly blame him. “Please tell me he didn’t rape you.”

“No,” she said and the tears she had been fighting since earlier began to trickle out of her eyes. “I fell in love with him.” Harry stood over her, shaking his head in disbelief, his hands on his hips. “He showed up a few days ago. I was so angry at first that I pushed him and told him to go to hell. Then he got my address somehow and showed up at the house after you had left for work. He just wanted me to listen so he could explain.”

“Did you tell him about Maddie?”

“No, of course not. She opened the door and came outside while I was talking to him. He seen her. He seen her and he knew right away...she looks just like him.”

“Oh my God please tell me you two didn’t tell her that he’s her father.”

She shook her head. “He just said he was my friend. She doesn’t know. He does want to get to know her though.”

“He’s a criminal. A wanted criminal. No way.”

“He said he’s okay with her not finding out the truth. He’ll remain just a friend of her mommy’s, he just wants to spend some time near her.”

She could see his jaws clenching. “I don’t like this.”

“I know. I’m not too thrilled about the whole thing either.”

“What was his explanation? For pretending to be dead and leaving you to take care of a child on your own?”

“I hadn’t told him I was pregnant yet. People wanted him dead and they would have killed me to get to him.”

“Yeah, sounds good.” His voice was laced with sarcasm. “I’m sorry, I’m just not entirely sure how to deal with this.”

“Me either.”

“Fuck, babe,” he said, sitting back beside her. “I’m being a selfish ass. I didn’t even ask you if you were okay.” He took her hands into his. “I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you.”

“Well, unlike you I’ve at least had a few days to process all this. It’s not making it much easier though.” 

“Do you...do you still love him?”

That was the question she did not want him to ask. “I...not like I love you.” It was partially true. “I was younger, a different person.”

He breathed out a sigh, it sounded like relief, and took her into his arms. “We’ll figure this out together.”

As her husband of four years held her his arms, trying to sooth her worries, her mind drifted, back to a time and place when Petyr’s arms would have been around her. Something about him had always made her feel safe, like nothing in the world could ever hurt her. Harry’s arms weren’t having that effect.

 

_Sansa followed Petyr and the porter into the room, taking in the grandeur. Nothing less than the best for Petyr Baelish. After the porter had sat their bags down and been tipped he left the two of them alone._

_“There’s only one bed,” Sansa said, noticing it right away._

_“So there is.” He removed his jacket and threw it on the chaise, taking a seat._

_“Why couldn’t you get me mine own room? People will think we’re a couple.”_

_“More likely they’ll think I’m your sugar daddy. What do you care what people think anyway? Relax, I’ll sleep right here.”_

_“That still doesn’t answer my question,” she insisted, sitting down on the chair next to the chaise. Over the last few months she had learned when she could push and when she couldn’t. When she had pushed too far he would let her know but he never became violent, only more stern. She supposed that’s all he needed to do when people were already afraid of him._

_“Because I don’t want you out of my sight while we are here. Not to mention if you’re friends at the Bureau are watching it will look a lot more like we’re a couple if we are sharing a room. Does that answer your question?” She nodded, watching as he unlaced his shoes and removed them. “I’m going to take a shower. Don’t even think of going anywhere, Olyvar will be nearby.”_

_“Isn’t he always?” Olyvar worked for Petyr and though she wasn’t quite sure of exactly what his area of expertise was, he was always around. Since Petyr had found out she was an undercover agent Olyvar had become her shadow._

_The corner of Petyr’s mouth turned up to almost smile and then he stopped. Loosening his tie, he stood and went to the bathroom without another word. She listened for the water to turn on and let out a long sigh, she would be under lock and key for the entire weekend. Not that she normally wasn’t but at least she had her own room at his place. He had wanted to keep her close and he made her tell her superiors at the FBI that she had seduced him and was living with him as his girlfriend. They would think she was making progress, worming her way into his life, and he could keep a constant eye on her, both sides satisfied._

_Since Sansa had nothing else to do she decided to hit up the mini-bar, not caring at all that Petyr would have to pay for whatever she took from it. She downed a couple tiny bottles of Jack and grabbed the room service menu from the bedside table, plopping down onto the bed as she flipped through it. Maybe she would order the entire menu and charge it to his room, just to piss him off. It likely wouldn’t though, he had enough money to buy a small country._

_A nice buzz was kicking in and she tossed the small pamphlet and went for another drink. Just as she finished the small bottle she heard the shower turn off in the bathroom and Petyr emerged, his hair a wet mess and only a towel wrapped around his waist. Sansa felt a blush creep into her cheeks at the sight of his bare upper body, she had never seen him without a shirt on before and she definitely wasn’t disappointed. He was just as lean and thin as he appeared to be with his clothes on, hardly an ounce of fat on him. Salt and pepper hair littered his chest and a matching trail ran from his navel down under the towel._

_“What are you doing?” he asked, walking towards her and taking the empty bottle from her hand._

_“I’m old enough to drink and we both know you can afford it.”_

_“That’s not the point. We have to be up early in the morning and the last thing I need to deal with is you being hungover.”_

_He was standing right in front of her and she couldn’t help but glance up and down his form now that she could have a closer inspection. Undoubtedly, she was still attracted to him, even though the way he regarded her had changed since finding out who she really was. She wasn’t sure if it was stupidity or the alcohol making her more bold but she found herself reaching out and placing her fingers flat against his chest._

_“What are you playing at, Miss Stark?” he asked, grabbing her wrist._

_“I’m not playing at anything. Why haven’t you kissed me again?”_

_“I told you already, you don’t have to pretend to want me anymore.” His eyes were cold, he absolutely believed what he was saying._

_His grip on her wrist wasn’t firm, she moved her hand down the length of his torso, stopping just below his navel, her core beginning to throb as her fingers brushed against his bare skin. What was she doing? He was a criminal and her job was supposed to be bringing him to justice, not caressing his naked body. But she couldn’t stop herself from running the tip of her finger under the edge of the towel._

_His hold tightened. “You should go to bed.” She looked in his eyes for some sign that he was feeling something. He had to be. That night in the car after the party, he had been all over her, it can’t have just disappeared because she worked for the other side. It was quick but she seen his jaw clench._

_“I wasn’t pretending,” she said, in response to his previous statement._

_He brought his other hand up and nipped at her chin with his forefinger. “Sure you weren’t, Sweetling.”_

_Hours later she woke up in tears. She had dreamed of her parents and her brother, Robb for the first time in a long time. In her dream, instead of getting the news about their murder, she had walked into their old family home and found them all slaughtered on the floor. Opening her eyes to the darkness of the room only made her envision the scene and she burst into tears, burying her face in her pillow to try and quiet her sobs._

_Within moments she felt the bed shift and Petyr was crawling in beside her, moving under the covers and up against her back. He wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest._

_“Shhh. It’s okay,” he whispered in the dark._

_She grabbed his hand and held onto it tightly and instantly her heart stopped pounding._

 

Later that evening Sansa watched, leaning against the door frame, as Harry read Maddie a bedtime story and tucked her in. He kissed her on the forehead and told her goodnight. They didn’t say anything else about Petyr as they showered and changed for bed but as she climbed under the covers her mind went back to him over and over again. After Harry was asleep and she was still wide awake, she got up and put on a pair of jeans and tee-shirt. Silently she crept out the bedroom, down the stairs and out to her Rang Rover. When she glanced back at the house after she turned the key in the ignition, she seen the light in her bedroom window turn on and Harry parting the curtains to look out, but she put the Rover into drive and left anyway.

Minutes later she was at the Motel 6 knocking on the door to room 106. Petyr opened the door still wearing his slacks but his shirt was completely unbuttoned and he was barefoot. 

“Sansa...”

Before he could say anything else she crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his body. He closed the door, pulling her inside before hugging her just as tightly. The tears came in torrents...god how she had missed the feel of him. He had a smidgen of extra padding but still fit perfectly into her arms. Deep inside she knew that this was what she had craved since the moment she had seen him again.

When he reached for her face and pulled her in, pressing his lips to hers, she didn’t stop him. It was all she had wanted in the world...it was what she had silently ached for for five years. He kissed her and kissed her and kissed her some more...on her lips, her forehead...her eyelids...the tip of her nose...her chin.

“I love you, Sansa Stark,” he said, resting his forehead against her own.

His words made her cry harder. “But we can’t.”

“I know...I understand. Can I hold you?”

She knew she should go home to her husband but she wanted to stay so badly. “Yes,” she answered.

He took her hand and lead her to the bed, pulling her down with him and wrapping his arms around her. Sansa stopped crying and rested her head against his bare chest, and in his embrace she found sleep come more quickly than it had in a very long time.


	4. I Want You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far. As always I highly enjoy feedback and appreciate comments, they keep me going.

When Sansa awoke several hours later, Petyr’s arms were still wrapped around her. She sighed into the warmth of his body, nuzzling her nose against the hairs of his chest. He smelled clean and the familiar aroma of the cologne he had always worn made her feel as if nothing had every changed. She was quickly brought back to reality when the alarm on her phone went off. It was time to get Maddie up for school.

“Shit,” she said, sitting straight up. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” She hopped off the bed and scrambled for her flip-flops on the floor. 

“Everything okay?” Petyr said, propping himself up onto an elbow.

“No. This is bad, very bad. It’s time for Maddie to be getting up and I’ve been gone all night. What’s Harry gonna say? What’s he going to think?”

“Probably nothing good.”

“Thanks for that.”

“Sorry but it’s the truth.”

“Always so good at the truth, weren’t you Petyr?”

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “Will you call me later?”

“Maybe.”

With her shoes on, she bolted out the door, not bothering with a good-bye or see you later. She was a married woman and she had just spent the entire night in the arms of another man. Oh God, Harry was going to be so upset. She slammed on the gas and was back at her house in less than ten minutes. When she opened the front door Harry was sitting on the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he’d been up all night.

Sansa wasn’t sure exactly what to say or where to start, so for a few moments she just stood before him waiting on him to say something for her. He wouldn’t look her in the eyes at all, he just stared passed her and up close she realized his eyes were puffy, as though he had been crying.

“Is Maddie up for school?” she asked.

“She’s not here. I had Arya come and get her about an hour ago, she’s gonna drop her off at school.” His tone was neutral, not even a hint of anger. 

“I’m sorry, Harry. I can’t really say anything else, because nothing would excuse my actions.”

He shook his head. “You know what the worst part is? The worst part is that I understand why you did it, why you went to him. And I ask myself if I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes. And I’m not angry, I’m really not. You loved him. But please for the love of God, Sansa, tell me you didn’t have sex with him.”

“No, I didn’t.” 

He let out a heavy sigh of relief and un-crossed his arms. Sansa dropped to the floor on her knees and wrapped her arms around him. Harry was a good man and she was a horrible human being for putting him through anguish. How could she be such a fool? “I’m so sorry, Harry. I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot, you’re human. I’m not going to say it didn’t hurt. I seen you leave last night and I knew you were going to him. But I can understand why.”

“You’re the most amazing man.” She meant it, she probably didn’t deserve him. 

He pulled back from her embrace and looked her in the eyes. “I’ve been thinking. I did quite a bit of thinking while you were gone and I came to the conclusion that you have to let him see her. One day she will find out , it’s inevitable and then she’ll be angry with you for standing in the way. I don’t want that and I very much doubt that you do either.”

“You’re right. We should tell her the truth.”

He nodded. “Not right this minute. Let her get to know him, then we’ll tell her, when we feel like the time is right.” 

Sansa couldn’t believe they were going to do this but then again she had thought she would never see Petyr again. Ever. She knew in her heart that she could not rightly keep the truth from her daughter, if and when she found out she would hate her mother forever.

“Should I tell him?”

“Yeah, call him up.”

“Do you want to do this together?”

Harry shook his head. “No, not really. I do want to meet this man. Get him over here and then you two take her somewhere fun.”

“You want to meet him?”

He grinned sheepishly. “Well, I wanna see what all the fuss is about. See the guy that drove you mad with grief, though if I’m being honest I wouldn’t mind punching him for that.”

“Please don’t.” They both laughed and Sansa got up off her knees. “Alright, I’ll give him a call right now.” She took her phone outside, for some reason wanting to be alone, and he answered on the second ring.

“Hi, Sansa,” he said.

“Hi, Petyr.” The sound of his voice still made her tingly but she tried to ignore it. “Listen, Harry and I talked and we both agreed that it’s a good idea for you to spend some time with Maddie, ya know, before you have to go.”

“Really? That’s great. When and where?” He sounded genuinely excited by the news.

“Well, tomorrow’s Saturday, there’s no school. Come by the house at...ten? After she’s had breakfast. We’ll take her somewhere fun.”

“Your house huh? So I get to meet the ol’ ball and chain?”

Funny. “His name is Harry, and yes, you get to meet him. He _wants_ to meet you.”

“Mmm...not sure I feel the same but okay. I’ll be there.”

“Good. I’ll see you at ten.”

Sansa ended the call and immediately called Arya to see if she had the bookstore open and asked her if she could manage it by herself for the next two days, they were closed on Sunday anyway. Of course Arya gave her a hard time but she understood and said she could handle it. When she was done making calls Sansa just sat on the front porch, staring into nowhere.

The life she had built in the last five years had suddenly shifted in a moment, she almost couldn’t believe it. A horrible sense of guilt was consuming her after the last night, but deep down she knew she had loved being back in Petyr’s arms. As angry as she was at him for leaving her alone, she was still glad to see him, it was all she had wanted in the world after she had thought he was dead. It was a good thing Harry couldn’t read her mind...he would be crushed. Not that she planned to up and leave him for Petyr...she couldn’t...could she? 

Sansa shook her head, hoping to rid herself of such thoughts. Harry was her husband and he had been good to her and Maddie, she could not allow herself to hurt him. He was pure and kind...nothing like Petyr. No one was like Petyr.

 

_When they arrived at the million dollar South Beach mansion the next afternoon, Sansa was only slightly surprised that there appeared to be a party in full swing. She supposed rich people could afford to not work on a weekday and spend all day getting drunk instead. There were cars everywhere and while she could see no one, she clearly heard loud music._

_“Say as little as possible,” Petyr said, before they stepped out of the car._

_“I know, I know.” All morning he had drilled it into her head. Say as little as possible, if asked a question keep answers simple and vague. This was very important because if the man Petyr was going to meet found out she worked for the FBI all hell would break loose._

_“And remember,” he placed his arm around her and pulled her in closer to his side. “We are a couple, so we have to act like a couple.”_

_“In case my friends at the Bur- at the club are watching,” she corrected, luckily catching her mistake._

_“That’s right. Now let’s go.”_

_He lead her to the door, his hand on the small of her back, and Olyvar followed close behind. Sansa was still not sure what the young man’s purpose was. He seemed too slight built to be a body guard of any kind. Then again she supposed you didn’t need to be beefy to shoot someone. Petry rang the doorbell and in moments the door opened and they were greeted, albeit reluctantly, by a large man in a black suit. Now this was a bodyguard._

_“Name?” The man’s voice was deep and intimidating but Petyr didn’t seem to notice._

_“Baelish.”_

_“Come on in.”_

_Petyr led her inside, not moving his hand from her waistline. The main entrance to the house opened up with a winding staircase on either side and in the middle a large fountain. As they moved past the foyer the music she had heard grew louder and soon she realized it was coming from outside, in the back yard. The doorman led them on until they reached sliding glass doors and through it Sansa seen the in-ground pool and beautiful people everywhere, all of them very scantily clad._

_“Enjoy yourselves,” the large man said, sliding the door open for them._

_“Where will I find Oberyn?” Petyr asked._

_“Under the gazebo, near the back.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_They stepped out onto the concrete, Olyvar close behind. “Oberyn Martell loves parties.” Petyr told her. “He likes people and he likes indulging in them.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“You’ll see.”_

_As they walked toward the gazebo in the back Sansa noticed a few young men stopping to look at her, smiling...some of them winking. She also noticed Petyr’s grip around her waist tighten, pulling her more snugly against him. A part of her wanted to tell him to back off, that she wasn’t his and he had done nothing but reject her lately anyway, but a part of her liked it. A part of her relished in being claimed. Even if it was just pretend._

_When they reached their destination a bronzed skin man with dark hair and dark eyes stood to greet them. Oberyn Martell no doubt._

_“Petyr, glad you could make it? And who is this exquisite young lady at your side?” He had a contagious smile and an exotic accent. He was very handsome as well._

_“This is Alayne, I told you about her on the phone.”_

_“Alayne, I’m Oberyn,” he took her hand and placed a kiss on top._

_Sansa grinned and looked at Petyr. Who was this guy? “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Oberyn.”_

_“No, I assure you, the pleasure is entirely mine. Please, have a seat. Get comfortable. Drinks?”_

_“Yes, please,” Petyr answered and Oberyn clicked his fingers to a young man standing nearby and he scurried off._

_They sat down around a table and Sansa noticed the white powder laid out in lines, along with a razor blade and what appeared to be a one-hundred dollar bill rolled up. She paid it no mind, acting casual._

_“Your handsome young man can have a seat as well.” Oberyn was looking to Olyvar appreciatively and Olyvar, smiled, pursing his lips. He sat in an empty chair next to Oberyn. “Now, Petyr, shall we get down to business first or later on?”_

_“Business first.”_

_“I knew you would say that. Very well, the product is right here, a sample for you so you know that it’s quality.” He motioned his hand over the table. “Give it a try, see for yourself.”_

_“I’d rather not. Olyvar...”_

_Olyvar didn’t hesitate. He picked up the straw and snorted up a line of the white powder. Cocaine. He slammed his hand down on the table and leaned back in the chair. “That’s good stuff, boss. Pure.”_

_“Excellent,” Petyr said._

_“You don’t want any?”_

_“No.”_

_“That’s what I like about you, Petyr,” Oberyn said, snorting a line for himself. “It’s all about the business. The Lannisters have become cokeheads. They’re self indulgent...greedy...gluttonous. You keep your head on straight.”_

_“I’m glad you think so. I’m excited that you’ve decided to change partners.”_

_“Indeed. Speaking of partners...” Oberyn looked over Sansa’s shoulder and Sansa turned to see a bronzed skin woman sauntering over wearing only her swim suit. The woman was very attractive and the way she held her head high and swayed her hips told the world that she knew it. “You remember Ellaria, Petyr?”_

_“Of course, how could I forget?”_

_The woman called Ellaria leaned over and kissed Petyr on the cheek. “And who might you be?” She asked Sansa with a smile._

_“Alayne.”_

_“Why hello, Alayne, it’s lovely to meet you.” She kissed Sansa on the cheek as well before crossing over to Oberyn and placing herself in his lap. “I hear you and my husband are to be business partners.”_

_“That’s correct.”_

_“Good. The Lannisters sicken me and I feared before long their arrogance would get us all in trouble.”_

_“My love, enough talk of Lannisters.” Oberyn interjected. “Let’s have fun. What say we take this handsome young man upstairs and play?” He was looking at Olyvar and that’s when Sansa realized that Oberyn was bisexual and apparently his wife was aware._

_She smiled. “He is quite pretty. What say you boy?”_

_Olyvar looked abashed. “I’m sorry...I don’t really...do...women.”_

_“What?” Oberyn was shocked. “Never?”_

_“Sorry. They just don’t do anything for me.”_

_“Well, you’re missing out. Why have one when you can have both?”_

_“What about you, beautiful?”_

_It took Sansa a moment to realize Ellaria was speaking to her. “I’m sorry...what?”_

_“Would you like to go upstairs with my husband and I and play?”_

_Clearly they were both bisexual. Sansa felt her cheeks burn and she looked to Petyr uncertainly. He shrugged as if to say that was just the way they were._

_“Darling, you’re scaring the poor girl to death.” Oberyn said with a gentle laugh. “Come, let’s you and I scout the perfect toy and leave these two to enjoy their evening.” He picked his wife up and they were gone._

_“Boss?” Olyavar said to Petyr._

_“Yes, Olyvar...go...mingle.”_

_After he had left and Petyr and Sansa were alone, she turned to him. “They’re swingers?”_

_“I would call it an open relationship.”_

_“And you’re going into the drug business with them?”_

_He nodded. “But you had already figured that hadn’t you?”_

_It was true, she had. The Bureau suspected that he would soon dip his finger into the drug market much like his rivals, the Lannisters, and on top of all of his other endevors he would now become a drug lord. But unlike his rivals she knew he would be very careful about his clientele, as he was very careful about everything else in his life. Despite the fact that he was a criminal, she had to admire him._

_“Why would you let me come here with you and witness this interaction?” she asked._

_He grinned. “Sweetling, you have seen no evidence. And I know you aren’t wearing a wire. Where is your proof of any such interaction? Neither drugs nor money exchanged hands.”_

_He had a point and he very much made sure she never had a wire. Before she had come to live with him he had searched through her belongings and had Olyvar pat her down after every single meeting she had with anyone from the Bureau._

_“Well, what now?” she asked. “Are we staying here for a while?”_

_“I fear it would be rather rude to leave so abruptly. We’ll have a few drinks, stay for a few hours and then head back to the hotel. Would you like a swimsuit?” Before she could answer he was waving Ellaria down and the woman walked over to where they sat._

_“Yes, Petyr?”_

_“Do you have a swimsuit that could Alayne could use?”_

_“Yes of course, over in the pool house we have several spares we keep on hand for our guests. Some still have the tags. There are some for men as well.”_

_“I don-”_

_Before Petyr could finish Sansa grabbed his hand and was pulling him up from his chair. “Come on, love. Let’s go find us one. Thank you , Ellaria.”_

_“Sansa, I hadn’t intended to swim,” he whispered in her ear as they made their way through the half naked bodies towards the pool house._

_“And why not? You would make your girlfriend swim alone?” He just glared at her until they reached the small building. Inside to the left there was a bench with a clothes rack next to it holding several women’s bathing suits and men’s board shorts. To the right there was a partial wall separating a toilet and a rinse shower. Sansa closed the door behind them and began rifling through the clothing on the rack. When she came across a red speedo she held it up to Petyr with a giggle. “How about this?”_

_“I think not.” He looked at her sternly but a smile played on the corners of his mouth._

_“Okay what about these?” She held up a pair of solid black board shorts. “They look like they’ll fit you.”_

_“Did you find something for you?”_

_“Um...I think I’ll wear this one and we’ll match,” she said, pulling a black bikini off the rack. “Here.” She pushed the shorts against his chest until he took them and she retreated behind the partial wall to change. When she emerged he was standing wearing only the shorts, neatly folding his suit and placing it on the bench. Sansa felt a blush creep into her cheeks, he looked damn good in a pair of shorts...even though he was very fair skinned. “You look nice,” she said._

_He looked up from his task, realizing she was there, and his eyes raked up and down her entire form before returning to her own. “As do you.” She couldn’t be entirely sure but she thought she saw a hint of desire behind those grey-green orbs._

_“Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand and yanked him back outside in the direction of the pool._

_They ordered drinks and chatted with the other guests. Sansa found herself talking to Oberyn on multiple occasions. He was funny and charismatic and she had to admit she enjoyed the attention he showered on her. It was during those moments that Petyr would return to her side, possessively putting a hand on her waist and pulling her to him. She enjoyed it to the point that she made sure to talk to Oberyn and other men as much as possible, just so he would swoop in and claim her as his own._

_However, as the evening wore on, Sansa had a good buzz going, and she was getting rather tired of Petyr laying claim to her for show and rejecting her when they were alone. It was quite irksome. Eventually she left him and went over to the hot tub, sliding in between two young, chiseled men. They were not shy at all about how attractive she was and she made sure to smile and giggle whenever one of them said something that was supposed to be funny, or slid closer to push a strand of hair out of her eyes._

_Eventually Petyr noticed and stalked over, standing over the hot tub. “Get out,” he said to the two young men._

_“Hey man, chill out. We’re just having a good time.”_

_“I said get the fuck out or I will have you hung by your balls.” The two men looked to one another and obviously decided not to find out if he really could hang them by their balls, and hopped out of the hot tub. “You too. Get out.” Petyr said to Sansa. She went to object but the look in his eyes told her it was probably not the best idea. She climbed out and he grabbed her by the hand. He pulled her along behind him into the house and up the stairs until he reached an unoccupied bedroom, pulling her inside and closing the door._

_“What is your problem?” she asked finally._

_“Right now you are.”_

_“What did I do?”_

_“You’re making me look bad and worse making yourself look bad.”_

_Sansa couldn’t help but laugh. “Why, because I was talking to guys?’_

_“Talking? Is that what you call it? I would call it shameless flirting with your boyfriend ten feet away.”_

_She couldn’t believe his nerve. “Boyfriend? You are not my boyfriend.”_

_“For now I am.”_

_“Really? Then why don’t you touch me? Why don’t you kiss me?” He stared at her with no reply. “Why don’t you FUCK me, Petyr?” What the fuck was she saying? Why did she care so bad that he did none of those things?_

_“Because that’s not what you really want. You don’t want some bad, old man.”_

_She should have agreed with him. She should have just let it go. But damnit it pissed her off so bad that he had appeared to lose all interest after than one night in the back of his car. After he had found out she worked for the good guys._

_“That’s not true,” she whispered, taking a few steps forward until she was face to face with him. Her heart pounded like a hammer against her rib cage as she placed her hands on the sides of his face and crashed her mouth into his. He met her kiss, parting his lips and darting his tongue out across her own. His hands went to her waist, sliding down over her ass as he deepened the kiss. When he squeezed both cheeks Sansa sighed into his mouth, feeling the flame of desire ignite in her stomach instantly and spread down between her legs._

_He began walking forward, her walking backwards, until she felt her calves hit the bed behind her. She let herself fall back, landing softly against the sheets, and he crawled on top of her onto his knees, bending his head to press his lips to her neck. The fire inside her raged as he moved his lips down over her collar bone and chest, until he reached her breasts. He smothered a nipple through the fabric of her swimsuit, sucking until it was a hardened nub, as his hands joined in cupping and gently squeezing each one. This was when she moaned audibly, succumbing to the heat swelling inside her._

_He lifted his head and looked into her eyes and she noticed that his had darkened with desire the way they had in the back of his car the night he had first kissed her. “This is what you want?” he asked._

_“See for yourself.” She took his hand into her own and placed it between her legs. His fingers moved aside the material covering her and slipped between her folds, finding her slick with need._

_“Mmm,” he hummed, closing his eyes and biting his bottom lip. “You’re so wet.” He slid his fingers up through her slit and she whimpered when they grazed her swollen clit. With his free hand he grabbed hers and placed it over his crotch and she felt his lengthy erection straining against his shorts. He was not small by any means. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked._

_“I’m not a virgin, Petyr. I slept with two boys while I was in college.”_

_He grinned a devilish sort of grin that made Sansa’s heart pound even faster. “I am not a boy, Sweetling.” He pushed her thighs open and laid himself between her legs, pressing his chest to hers and grinding his hips so that she could feel his hardness on her most sensitive area, uncontrollably she bucked against him, needy for the friction._

_He bent his head once more, nibbling at her earlobe. “Tell me you want me,” he whispered._

_“I want you, Petyr,” she obliged._

_Just as his mouth was about to smother her own again someone knocked on the door._

_“I didn’t hear that, did you?” Petyr asked._

_She shook her head but the knocking continued. “Petyr, are you in there?” It was Oberyn._

_“Shit,” Petyr said, pushing himself up off her. He opened the door and Sansa sat up on the bed, brushing out her hair with her fingers, trying to look composed but when she seen Oberyn over Petyr’s shoulder he was grinning like a kid in a candy store._

_“So sorry to interrupt,” he said. “But I came to see if you would like to join my wife and I for dinner tonight. We’re going to the new French restaurant they just opened, supposed to be very good. Our treat of course.”_

_“Sure, that sounds good.”_

_“I’ll have my men clear everyone out while we are gone. You and your lovely lady are welcome to stay here for the night. Your beautiful boy as well.”_

_Petyr nodded. “Thank you.” He closed the door and turned back towards Sansa. She could see that he still had an erection through his shorts and wondered if Oberyn had seen it as well._

_“Guess we’re going to dinner?” she said._

_“Apparently so.”_

_“Are you hungry?”_

_“I’m very hungry,” he answered and the look in his eyes told her that he was not talking about food. “Are you?”_

_“More than you know.”_

 

“Sansa...Sansa...BABE?!” Sansa snapped her head around to see Harry standing in the doorway. Apparently she had been very, very far away. “Did you call him?”

“Yeah, he’s coming over tomorrow,” she answered, wondering how long he had been standing there. “He sounded excited.”

Harry nodded. “You coming inside?”

“Yeah, I just...”

“Just?”

“Nothing.” She stood and followed him inside their home.


	5. Her Real Father

On Saturday morning Sansa was a nervous wreck and while she tried not to let it show, it was a lost cause. Especially when it came to Maddie, children had a way of seeing right through you, as if they could feel the discomfort radiating off your body. 

"Mommy, are you okay?" she asked between bites of her pancakes. 

"I'm fine sweetie. Eat your breakfast."

"Are you sure, Mommy? You seem...dis-dis...discrunchled."

Harry laughed out loud. "Do you mean disgruntled?"

"No. Discrunchled."

"Daddy's right, baby. It's disgruntled."

Maddie shrugged and shoved more pancakes into her mouth. Harry reached across the table and took Sansa's hand. "Relax. Breathe. Everything is going to be okay." Sansa nodded though she didn't feel like it was that easy. Why were men always so calm? Or at least better at pretending to be calm?

They finished up their breakfast and were loading the dishwasher when the doorbell rang. Sansa looked at the microwave clock, it was exactly ten a.m. Petyr had always been a very prompt and precise individual so she wasn't really surprised. 

"Mr. Petyr's here," Maddie said.

Sansa took a deep breath and exhaled, looking to Harry. "Let's do this," he said.

They went to the front door together and for a moment she thought to smooth her hair and straighten her clothing but remembered her husband was standing right beside her. Finally she opened the door and faced the man that was making her so nervous. 

"Petyr, hi." He looked relaxed in jeans and a black v-necked t-shirt, his sunglasses pushed up on top of his head. 

"Good morning, Sansa." He looked to Harry and extended his hand. "You must be Harry. I'm Petyr."

Harry shook the other man's hand. "Nice to meet you, Petyr. Come inside."

Sansa watched the two of them, trying to gauge their reaction to one another. Petyr gave nothing away but then again he'd already seen Harry once, the morning he had showed up unannounced. Harry had an odd expression on his face that she couldn't quite put her finger on. It almost looked like shock but it faded too quickly to tell.

"We just finished up breakfast but we still have coffee," Harry said. "Would you like some?"

"Um, no but thank you."

Sansa seemed to be having trouble looking either of them in the eyes at the moment. She was glancing down when she noticed Petyr's unexpected footwear. "Since when do you wear flip-flops?"

He grinned. "Since I figured we could take Maddie to the beach. Get there early before it's crowded and maybe go to Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch."

About that time Maddie came running from the kitchen. "Did I hear beach _and_ Chuck-E-Cheese, Mr. Petyr?"

"You did. If it's okay with your mom."

"Yeah, that sounds good to me."

"Yaaay, she said yes, Mr. Petyr."

"I heard. And you don't have to call me mister, just Petyr is fine."

"Okay, just Petyr."

He grinned at her little joke and crouched down to her level. "Do you have any buckets? So we can make a sand castle?"

"I do."

"I thought you might. Do you wanna run get them?"

"Yup. I'll get my bathing suit on too."

Maddie took off and Petyr stood back up. "She's perfect."

"Oh no, that's what she wants you to think. You don't really know her." Sansa had meant it as a joke but realized by the look in Petyr's eyes that she had struck a chord. "I'll just run change," she said, exiting the room before things became any more awkward. 

After Sansa had put her own swim suit on under her clothes and finished internally cursing herself, she went back downstairs where her daughter had already joined the two men with a towel and buckets in hand. She looked more ready than Sansa felt but the child had absolutely no idea that the man taking her to the beach was the one who had actually helped her mommy make her. Sansa took a deep breath. "Are you two ready?"

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" Maddie answered, bolting for the door. 

"Wait...I don't get a hug?" Harry said, feigning being hurt though she imagined maybe he was, just a little bit.

"Sorry, Daddy." She gave him a quick hug and was out the door.

"I'll go out with her," Petyr said. "It was nice meeting you, Harry."

"Yeah, likewise."

When Petyr was out the door Sansa turned to her husband. "Are you sure you don't wanna come?"

"I'm sure. It would just be more awkward for everyone and Maddie picks up on those things. Go have fun."

She gave him a quick hug and a kiss and went outside. Petyr was already getting Maddie into the back of his car.

"Petyr, I figured we'd take the Rover because I have the child seat." As soon as she was close enough to have a peek in the back of his BMW she seen that Maddie was strapped into a booster seat. "Where’d you get that from?"

"He bought it for me last night, Mommy," Maddie answered for Petyr. “It’s pink.”

“I can see that,” Sansa said, unable to contain her smile. She was impressed. “Alright then, I guess you have this under control.”

He shrugged. “I think I can manage. Come on, let’s go.”

On the ride they didn’t discuss anything too complicated, what with Maddie being in the car, just small talk about her book store and how business was. When they got there Maddie stripped down to her swimsuit immediately and made a beeline for the wet sand at the edge of the water, scooping it up into her buckets so that she and Petyr could set to work on their castles. Sansa herself felt a bit more modest about taking her clothing off and being in a bathing suit in front of Petyr. When she finally did she noticed his eyes dart up from his task, momentarily enjoying the view. 

“Why aren’t you in swimming trunks?” Sansa asked him, taking a seat in the sand beside the two of them.

“Ah ya know, I burn easily.”

“That’s no fair. Take it off. Right Maddie? Tell Petyr that it’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair, Petyr,” she said giggling. 

“Ugggh,” he groaned, though he was fighting a smile. He lifted his shirt over his head and stood to remove his jeans, which had been covering a pair of green and blue board shorts. Sansa looked at him, deciding that he still did not look his age. He had a tiny bit more meat on him and if she was being honest she thought it suited him, made him look more manly. Five years ago he probably would have been described as skinny, now he looked average but there was nothing average about him.

“Here, give me your clothes,” Sansa offered. “I’ll put them in my bag so they don’t get all sandy.”

Petyr handed them over and sat back down beside Maddie, watching her work on her masterpiece. “I think this might be the best sand castle I’ve ever seen.”

“Really?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.

“Absolutely. It’s just missing one thing.”

“What?”

“A moat.”

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What’s a moat?”

“I’ll show you.”

Sansa watched as Peytr got onto his knees and dug a trench in the sand surrounding the _best sand castle ever_. “Now we need water.” He took a bucket and ran to the water, filling it up, and returning. Tipping it slightly, he allowed the water to flow in slowly, so that he wouldn’t flood the entire castle. “That is a moat. It provides protection in case the castle gets invaded.”

“Cooool,” Maddie said, her eyes wide with wonder. 

“You wanna go get in the water?”

Maddie shook her head. 

“She’s afraid,” Sansa explained. “She’s not afraid of water itself, she’s fine in pools but the waves knock her over and it scares her.”

“What if I went out with you?” Petyr asked Maddie. “And I’ll carry you over the waves.”

She seemed to think it over for a few seconds. “You’ll stop the waves from knocking me down?”

“I sure will.”

She nodded. “Okay, I guess so.”

Petyr stood up and held his hand out to Maddie, and Sansa watched them walk out to the edge of the ocean. When they got right in front of the waves Maddie stopped in her tracks and Petyr knelt down and said something to her, then he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck, and went out into the water together. Sansa couldn’t believe how good he was with her, she had never really seen Petyr as the Daddy type but he was quickly proving her wrong and she wasn’t sure if it made her happy or sad. Perhaps a little of both. She felt tears brimming at the corners of her eyes as she watched her daughter play with her father...her real father. 

She pulled her knees up and leaned on them, smiling and watching them splash around for a while, then she heard her phone ringing. Taking it from her bag she seen that it was Harry. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey babe, you having fun?”

“Yeah. Petyr’s got Maddie out in the water right now. I’m just watching.”

“They’re getting along well?”

“Yeah, he’s really good with her so far.”

“Good,” he said but Sansa thought she noticed a hint of jealousy in his voice. “Well, listen...do you want the good news or the sort of bad news first?”

“ _Sort of_ bad news? How can it be sort of bad?”

“Fine, I’ll just tell you. The good news is my boss called and I got that promotion. You are officially talking to the Creative Director of Vale Advertising.”

“Oh, honey, that’s great. Congratulations. So what’s the sort of bad news?”

“He wants me to fly out with him tonight to New York and have dinner with a potential new client. A client that would mean a lot of money and reputation for us.”

Sansa wasn’t really sure what to say. On the one hand it wasn’t uncommon for Harry to have to fly out for his job but the timing was weird right now...what with Petyr and all. But she couldn’t ask him to stay, not with him just getting this promotion, it would look like it didn’t mean that much to him and she knew it meant a lot. “Well, okay. I mean, I’m happy for you.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean I know it’s bad timing and I should be here for you right now.”

“Harry, you can’t not go. It’s too important. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

He sighed into the phone but she knew he was glad she didn’t need him to stay. “Okay, anything happens call me and I’ll be on the first flight back.”

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I know. I love you, babe. I won’t be here when you get home so tell Maddie I love her too. Give her a kiss and a hug for me.”

“I most definitely will. And I love you too.”

She ended the call and heaved a sigh of her own. Why did she feel a little bit happy that he was leaving town for a few days? She didn’t have too much time to think about it, Petyr and Maddie had made their way out of the water and were heading in her direction.

“Mommy, mommy! Petyr says you have to get in the water with us.”

“Did Petyr?”

“Hey now, don’t lie, it was your idea.”

“Was not!”

“Okay, fine, it was both of our ideas. Come on girl, get up.”

“Ugh, I’d rather not get all salty and sticky.”

Petyr gave Maddie a smile and leaned over to whisper in her ear. She giggled, covering her mouth and both of them suddenly grabbed Sansa by the hands and were pulling her up on her feet. Sansa couldn’t help but laugh with them. Maddie pulled her on ahead towards the water and she noticed Petyr stayed a few steps behind and she felt a blush spread over her cheeks. It was something he used to do all the time so he could look at her ass as she walked. 

“Get up here,” she said sternly, looking over her shoulder at him. He grinned, confirming her suspicions.

 

After a little more water play, the sun was beating down, so they decided to pack up at the beach and head to Chuck-E-Cheese where they filled up on pizza and Maddie beat Petyr at Skee Ball about a dozen times. Sansa was positive he let her win because Petyr never lost at anything, but it put a smile on her face and that seemed to put a smile on his. Sansa felt good watching them, watching her daughter and her father. There was a swelling in her chest that threatened to overwhelm her, it broke out in her own smile. But when they loaded into the car and headed back to her home reality began to set in. Petyr was not her husband, it was not his home. 

When they pulled into the driveway Maddie was passed out in the backseat. “Do you wanna come inside for a little while?” Sansa asked Petyr. “Harry’s not here.”

“Where’d he go?”

“He had to fly out to New York. His boss called him, he got the promotion he’s been trying to get. He called me when we were at the beach.”

Petyr pursed his lips and nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll carry her in.”

As he hauled a sleeping Maddie out of the car it began to drizzle so they rushed into the house. He carried her up the stairs and Sansa showed him where her room was and he lay her gently onto her pink, princess sheets. She leaned against the doorway, watching him look around the room, picking up her pre-k picture off the dresser and staring at it.

He looked up and smiled. “She’s beautiful. I never imagined I could make something so beautiful.”

“She looks just like you.”

“Maybe the hair and eyes but she’s gorgeous like you.”

“She’s a picky eater like you. And she’s smart, so smart. They wanted to put her in first grade a few months into kindergarten but she cried because she loves her teacher so I let her stay. I figure she’ll have her own business by the time she’s ten.”

He laughed. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Do you want a drink?”

“Sure.”

They went downstairs and Sansa poured them some wine, which they decided to drink in the living room, taking the bottle with them. The drizzle outside turned into a downpour and they sat on the sofa listening to it. Petyr leaned back and grimaced.

“What’s wrong?”

“I told you. I burn easily.”

She reached over and pulled down the collar of his t-shirt. “Wow, you are kinda red. I’ve got some calamine lotion.”

“I’m ok-”

Before he could finish she was off to get it, returning within moments. “Take your shirt off.”

“I told you, I’m okay.”

“Take your shirt off.”

He gave her a look but did as instructed. She sat down on the sofa and had him turn his back to her and she squirted the lotion onto her hands, applying it to his shoulders first. He groaned at the contact and immediately she knew that maybe this hadn’t been a good idea. That groan sent a shock of arousal straight through her stomach and between her legs. She continued, running her hands down the muscles of his back, pretending like she hadn’t felt it.

“He takes care of you, doesn’t he?” Petyr asked. “Nice house, nice car, your own business.”

“He does.”

He said nothing as she finished up with his back, then she had him turn around. He could have reached his own chest but she wanted to do it, wanted to touch him. As her fingers moved across the plains of his chest, smoothing down the hair with the lotion, she felt that jolt again and this time it was stronger.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and she looked up into his eyes. Those grey-green pools that always pulled on her heartstrings.

“Don’t.”

“Sansa...I’m sorry.”

“Petyr, stop.”

“No.” His hand came up to cup her face. “You have no idea how much I thought of you. I thought I was doing the best thing for you but I thought of you. Every. Single. Day.”

That was when she lost it. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He returned her kiss with fervor and passion, wrapping his arms around her, drawing her in closer. It all happened so fast and a tiny part of her brain told her to stop but her heart and her body had wanted it for so long. Sansa clawed at his chest, raking her fingers down until she reached the button of his jeans.

It was as if they were two teenagers, frantically pulling at one another’s clothing in the back seat of a car, hurried in case one of them decided to change their mind. He pulled her shirt up and she raised her arms so he could get it off, tossing it to the floor, desperately trying not to keep their lips apart for too long. Her bra was gone next and then her bottoms. 

“What about Maddie?” Petyr asked, even while he was unzipping his pants.

“She sleeps like a rock.”

He slid them down his slender hips and sat back down on the sofa. Sansa throbbed at the sight of his cock sticking up, hard and red. She’d been wet since she first touched his shoulders. Straddling him, she crashed her mouth back into his, and she could feel him aligning his tip with her entrance between her legs. 

“Fuck,” they cried in unison as she sank down onto him, his length filling her to the hilt. The minute he was inside her she knew she wouldn’t last long. He grabbed her ass, squeezing and she began bobbing up and down on his cock. 

“God, you feel so good, Sweetling,” he cooed as she rode him. 

The pressure was building so fast and it was _strong_ , stronger than anything she’d ever felt. With the sounds of her gushing around his member and the sounds of his moans, she felt it swelling, overwhelming her. Tears erupted from her eyes just as the pressure exploded.

“Oh fuck, baby, don’t stop.” He grabbed her and held her to his chest, his hips pumping up into her. She could feel him cumming inside her as she was still in the throws of her own orgasm and it intensified it, her walls contracted, milking him for every drop. She shook in his arms, tears streaming down her face as she clung to him.

Even as their pleasure subsided he held onto her, rocking her. She didn’t want to let go. But she knew she would have to.

“What have I done?” she whispered against his chest.


	6. That's it?

Petyr held onto her, not wanting to let her go, even as she spoke the words that gave away her feelings of guilt. He felt no guilt, not if he was honest with himself. Not that Harry seemed like a bad guy, he didn’t, but Petyr had it in mind to have her as soon as he had laid eyes on her again. Before that. Sansa was his, Maddie was his. The only culpability he felt was for leaving her for so long but had he known...had he known he would have taken her with him. As it was he had not wanted to ruin her life, to make her live in hiding, on the run with no contact with the family that she had left.

“Petyr, what have I done?”

“You acted on your heart’s desires, Sweetling. Nothing more, nothing less.” That wasn’t entirely true but perhaps he could convince her that it was. He was usually very good at convincing. He stroked her long red, locks...relishing in the feeling of the strands running through his fingers. For five years he had dreamed of touching her again.

She sniffled against his chest, wiping the tears from her eyes. When she looked up into his own he wasn’t sure he liked what he seen behind them. “I think you need to go.”

It hurt to hear those words, like a punch in the stomach but he knew he shouldn’t be surprised, she was married and on paper she wasn’t his anymore. “Is that what you want?” The expression on her face was pained and he knew she was struggling. It gave him life, seeing her so torn, because it meant that she didn’t really want him to go. There may be hope yet. “I don’t want to go,” he said, leaning down and pressing his lips to the bare skin of her shoulder. “You don’t truly want me to go either, I know you don’t.” He ran his hands up the muscles of her back, then slowly down again until he reached her ass, squeezing it and pushing her against him. He felt a jolt of arousal shoot down through his cock, almost ready to fuck her again. It had been far too long and his hunger for her seemed insatiable.

She sighed from his touch, closing her eyes but when he ran his hand around her side, grazing her rib cage and settling on her breast, she pushed him away and stood up off him. “I’m sorry, Petyr. You need to go.”

Feeling like a child scorned, Petyr stood, pulling his jeans back up to cover himself. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy that.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, slipping her shirt back over her head and tossing his shirt to him. “This can’t happen. It shouldn’t have happened.”

“What about Maddie? Are you going to tell me I can’t see her too?”

For a moment she looked as if she were going to say yes just so she wouldn’t have to deal with seeing him again but she shook her head. “No, you can see Maddie. But what happened here can never happen again. Harry’s going to be devastated.”

“Don’t tell him then. I don’t give a fuck.” He was being infantile, he knew, but he’d always had a difficult time accepting rejection.

“I have to tell him.”

“No, you don’t. Unless you want to divorce him and be with me. In that case you should probably tell him, yes.”

She laughed but it was not a kind laugh. “You’re really something you know that? Showing up after five years and expecting me to just fall back into your arms.”

“I don’t expect it, you _did_ it.”

She looked at him with fury in her eyes and then turned, marching towards the front door. When she reached it she swung it open. “Leave. I’ll let you know when you can see Maddie again. If you’re still here.”

“Maybe I won’t be.” He regretted the words as soon as they left his lips and instantly wished he could take them back.

“Get. Out.”

“Fine,” he answered, stepping across the threshold. 

“Fine!” She slammed the door in his face.

“Fuuuuck!” Petyr wanted to kick at something but it wasn’t his lawn and he would only succeed in pissing her off even more. As he opened the door to his car and slipped into the driver’s seat, he wondered why in the hell he would say such a thing to her. Sometimes he could be a complete asshole but telling her he wasn’t going to stay was just a lie to hurt her and hadn’t he hurt his beautiful Sansa enough?

He put the car into first and took off, not really knowing where he was going. He didn’t feel like going back to the hotel alone, without his family. It was so strange...he had a family. Well, not technically speaking but they were his. His girls. Petyr had honestly never been a person who was considered good with children, he wasn’t sure he had really even liked children...until Maddie. From the moment he had laid eyes on her he was in love. It had come over him like an instinct. One look and he knew he would lay down his life for this little girl... _his_ little girl.

When he found himself back at the beach again, he parked and went out on the pier to look at the water. The sound of the ocean, the waves breaking against the rocks...it always seemed to calm him, clear out all of the debris from the dark corners of his mind. In the future he needed to proceed more carefully. Sansa was hurt and still hurting from his disappearance, he would need to ease into this. They shouldn’t have had sex, not yet, but he had been too needy and too weak to resist her when she had started pulling at his clothing, silently begging him to take her. He remembered their first time, how he had wanted to refuse but simply could not once he felt her silky, wetness against his fingertips. He had been rejecting her advances for weeks, only to have to slip off somewhere alone and take care of his raging hard-on himself. That day at Oberyn’s though...he could fight the urge no longer.

 

_”How was your meal?” Oberyn asked, taking a sip from his wine glass._

_“It was wonderful, thank you,” Petyr answered, though it was hard to concentrate on food with the beautiful red-head beside him continuously running her toes up his leg, lifting his pants so that her skin touched his own._

_“You’re most welcome, I’ve always enjoyed your company, Petyr. You’re a very intriguing man. And now you have a very intriguing lady at your side, what a duo.”_

_“The dynamic duo,” Ellaria said with a giggle._

_Petyr looked at Sansa, who bit at her bottom lip, smiling at him. All evening he had thought about their encounter before Oberyn had interrupted them. For the last month she had insisted her desire for him wasn’t false but he refused to believe it, women like her did not want men like him unless it was for money and he knew that to be fact, until... She had been so wet, her face flushed with desire, a soft moan escaping her lips when he had pressed his cock against her. Could she fake all of that? A person could fake a lot of things but the not the product of her arousal, pooling between her legs._

_As if to confirm any doubts he had, he felt her hand on his thigh under the table, gently moving up to his crotch where his cock was already swelling. When she reached the object of her desire, he felt himself jerk in response and immediately coughed to cover it up, shaking his leg to try and get her off him._

_“Are you alright, Petyr?” Oberyn asked, grinning as if he knew what was going on under the table._

_“Yes, I’m grand. Thanks again for the meal.”_

_“You two are staying the night aren’t you? And in the morning you and I can go over our arrangement in more detail, over coffee.”_

_“Um...yes, I suppose we will, if it’s alright with, Alayne.”_

_“Fine with me,” she answered. “I don’t mind spending the night in a beautiful mansion at all.”_

_“It’s settled then,” Ellaria said. “And Alayne I’m sure I have something that will fit you for you to wear to bed.”_

_Oh and did she ever, Petyr learned for himself later that night. He was already stripped down to his boxers, pulling the covers back on the bed, when Sansa emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a black, lace bustier, with matching black panties. Straps connected to the bottom of the bustier to a black, lace garter around each of her thighs. His cock twitched in his pants at the sight of her, looking shyly down at the floor and tucking her hair behind her ear. He wanted to yank her onto the mattress and pull those panties off with his teeth, among many other things._

_“You look very nice,” he said, controlling the desire in his voice._

_“Thank, you.”_

_Petyr wasn’t sure what to think about her sudden nervousness. Had she changed her mind? “Are you coming to bed?”_

_She nodded and walked to the side of the bed, very carefully crawling into it. Petyr dimmed the lights but didn’t turn them all the way off, he wanted to see her, be able to look into her eyes when he made her climax. He got in next, scooting so that he was very close to her body, laying on his side to face her. When he placed his hand on her bare stomach she inhaled slowly and deeply._

_“It’s not too late to change your mind,” he whispered. “I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” A small part of him wanted to her to change her mind. Sleeping with an FBI agent probably wasn’t the best idea but he had never seen an FBI agent look so damn tempting. It wasn’t as if they were a real couple, he could have his way with her while she was his to have, enjoy her body._

_“I want to,” she whispered back. “I’m just a little nervous.”_

_“Why ever are you nervous, Sweetling? I thought you said you weren’t a virgin.” He placed a kiss on her forehead as he continued to run his fingers back and forth over the soft skin of her abdomen, relishing the feeling of the goose pimples breaking out upon her flesh._

_“I’m not but...”_

_He placed a soft kiss on her neck and heard her sigh, his erection growing in his boxers. “But?”_

_“It was only twice and it was clumsy and awkward. I just...”_

_Petyr continued kissing at her neck, gauging her arousal by the sound of her breathing. “Just what?” He bent his head and began taking his trail of kisses further down her collar bone until his lips met the heaping mounds of her breasts, straining against the lace of the bustier. He desperately wanted to yank the cloth off her but her trepidation reined him in._

_“I just don’t feel experienced enough.”_

_“I can teach you whatever you need to know... you're perfect regardless.”_

 

She was perfect. Perfect that night and every night after. Never in his life had he encountered a woman so responsive, so eager. He had had far too many dead lays and she was anything but. She was Sansa and there was no one like her. 

Petyr pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag. He had always had a difficult time dealing with emotion, ever since her mother, and now it was all crashing onto him again. He had missed her more than he could ever begin to explain, she wouldn't believe him anyway. And now there was Maddie...and she was love at first sight. What was he to do? He didn't want to hurt either of them, he didn't want to pull Maddie from the only father she had ever known but she was _his_. He didn't know. 

He pulled his phone from his pocket and typed. He knew he probably shouldn't but he couldn't help himself. 

_I love you. I love Maddie already._

He hesitated for a moment and finally hit send. Anxiously he waited for a reply, pulling hard on that cigarette. Minutes passed before his phone finally chirped. 

_Sansa: I love you too but I'm married._

_Petyr: So that's it?_

_Sansa: I'm sorry. He's a good man._

Petyr let out a long sigh and flicked his cigarette into the ocean. “Fuck.”


	7. Playing House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it took long enough. I hope it's not too drawn out. I hope it's not crap. As always comments appreciated. =)

Sansa woke to the sound of her phone ringing, jolting upright, a sharp throb immediately pierced both temples. She had ended up drinking far too much the night before, drowning her sorrows and her guilt. When she looked at the screen of her mobile and seen “Babe”, she wanted to vomit. Instead she answered it.

“Hey, babe,” Harry said, sounding far more chipper than Sansa felt. 

“Mornin’.”

“You sound groggy, are you just waking up?”

“Yeah, what time is it?”

“It's eleven. Where's Maddie? She's usually up by now on a Sunday, so are you for that matter.” Was that accusation she heard in his voice or just her guilty conscience?

“I'm sure she's fine,” Sansa said, heaving herself out of bed. She walked across the hall to Maddie's room and peeped in the door. Her daughter was sitting on the floor building something with her legos.

“Hi, mommy. You're up! Who are you talking to?”

“I'm talking to Daddy, Sweetie- Do you wanna talk to Maddie?”

“I actually don't have much time. Gotta meet the boss man and the big-wigs at the golf course. How'd yesterday go?”

“Fine.” Her stomach began twisting again. “I think I got a little too much sun, made me tired. But everything went fine.”

“Does he want to see her again?” She could hear it in his voice, he wanted her to say no. To say that Petyr was leaving and they'd never have to worry about him again but that just wasn't true. 

“Yeah. Not sure when though.”

“Okay...well...just don't over do it. Don't overwhelm her.”

 _You mean don't overwhelm us._ “I wouldn't put more on her than I thought she could handle. She had a blast anyways, she loves him already I think.” _Shit._ It was too late to take that statement back.

“Oh….well…that’s good.” She could hear the pain in his voice and it broke her heart. What's more, if he knew what _she_ had done the previous night. “Alright babe, I gotta let you go. I love you.”

“Love you too. Bye.” Sansa hit “end” quickly, grateful to be off the phone. How was she going to look him in the face when he came home? Would he be able to see the betrayal and taint lurking behind her eyes?

“Mommy, what do you wanna do today?”

Maddie's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She was still standing in the doorway to her little girl’s bedroom. “Um...I hadn't thought about it yet. Let mommy get some clean clothes on and a cup of coffee in me and then we'll see.”

“Can I have coffee?”

“Absolutely not.”

Despite what she had said, Sansa didn't bother changing out of her sweats and tank top, it could wait until after caffeine. It was going to be one of those days. She went downstairs and put on a pot of coffee, a very strong pot of coffee, and leaned against the counter to wait, looking through her phone as she did. She couldn't stop her finger from clicking on the text thread between she and Petyr. _I love you. I love Maddie already._

Every time she read those words a jolt shot through her heart, down to her stomach, and she had read them a lot already. In fact, she'd fallen asleep with the phone in her hand. There was an ache in her chest that was too overwhelming to put into words. God, if there was no Maddie...if there was no Maddie she just might be tempted to pack up and go with Petyr but as it stood she did not want to tear her daughter's life into pieces. To pull her so abruptly from the only father she had ever known. 

“I'm horrible,” Sansa said aloud. The fact that she would so easily leave a man who loved her completely, break his heart, and crawl back into the arms of the man who had broken hers, made her feel almost sick to her stomach. Plus, she had a life, she had a business...she had Arya close by and Bran and Rickon were only a phone call away. Petyr would never be able to be normal. What sort of life would she have with him? Always on the run. No contact with her family. 

It just wasn't meant to be. Probably never had been.

 

_”What's wrong?” Petyr asked, as Sansa slid into the back seat of the car next to him._

_Was she that transparent that he could see it written on her face? “They wanna pull me out. Put me on a different case.” His eyes were so hard to read at times, a vast ocean of grey-green that she could easily drown in, never quite able to navigate the waves._

_“Why?”_

_“They don't think I'm getting enough information. On you or the Lannisters.”_

_“You've given them plenty of information. More than anyone ever has I'd wager to say. That can't be the reason.”_

_She turned her gaze out the window, watching the storefronts blur as they zoomed by. It was the lights, all of the Christmas lights. It was the holiday season and instead of being in a warm room, sipping hot chocolate and hanging out with family and friends she was in the backseat of a criminal’s car. “They suspect I'm becoming attached. That my judgment will become displaced. People have seen us out in public. They have pictures of us. Holding hands, kissing. They think my affection for you isn't an act.”_

_Petyr turned in his seat so that his knee touched her thigh and he could look right at her. “Did you tell them that's not true?”_

_“Of course.” She turned her eyes from the window and looked back into his own. “I told them that I'm just very good at what I do.”_

_“Did they believe you?”_

_“They accepted my response. For now. I don't know how much longer they'll give me but for now I'm still in.”_

_“Good,” Petyr said, taking both of her hands into his own. Was that relief she heard in his voice?_

_“Good? Don't you want me gone? Aren't I just a burden for you? Just someone else you always have to keep an eye on?”_

_The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. “I don't mind keeping an eye on you, it's a rather pleasant view.”_

_Just like Petyr to deflect whenever asked something he didn’t want to answer. “I'm serious. When are you going to get tired of me?”_

_“You really are getting attached, aren't you?” he asked, his eyes softening._

_Was she? As if in answer to her own question her heart fluttered. “No.”_

_“Oh?” He leaned forward and pressed his mouth softly to hers, then took the trail of his lips across the line of her jaw, down to the pulse point on her neck which was now racing. She couldn't help but sigh and tilt her head to allow him better access. “What were you saying?”_

_“This is different. This is sex.”_

_“You're going to have to work on your lies, darling,” he whispered against her skin as one hand reached around her back, pulling her closer, and the other moved to cup a breast. “I'm surprised they believed you at all.”_

_Just like that the fire erupted in her loins, insatiable and all-consuming. Just sex? No, Sansa felt more and she knew she did, but she couldn't admit that to him. She would never admit that to him. The head of a crime syndicate and an FBI agent together was impossible. She would just have to keep it to herself until the time came to move on and get over him. And she would._

 

“I should have gotten out then,” she mumbled to herself. But then there would be no Maddie. 

The pot of coffee was done and she grabbed her favorite pink mug from the cabinet. The one that had “Best Mommy Ever” written across it in red curly letters. Harry and Maddie had picked it out together on her third Mother's Day, when their daughter was finally getting old enough to start voicing opinions and he said she had insisted on that mug instead of the gold earrings he had suggested. He'd gotten her the gold earrings anyway but for Sansa the mug meant far more. 

She was adding cream and sugar to her coffee when she heard the front door open. It was way too early for Harry to be home since she had just gotten off the phone with him and he was definitely still in New York. Petyr? No way, she was positive she had locked it the night before. Unless Maddie had unlocked it but she knew better. 

“Hello? Sans? Where you at?” The racing of her heart slowed down as Arya’s voice carried through the house. 

“Kitchen,” she called back. Her sister walked into the kitchen wearing her usual gettup: skinny jeans, black boots and a black T-shirt. She still hadn’t quite outgrown the black phase but Sansa had to admit the color looked pretty good on her. “You want coffee?”

“Um...no.” Her younger sister hopped up onto a stool by the island, Sansa did the same across from her. “Did you just wake up?”

“Unfortunately.”

“That's not like you.”

“Yeah. I know. So, what brings you by?”

“Just wanted to see how yesterday went.” Arya put her elbows on the counter and leaned, something their mother had always hated, always telling her to sit up straight or she would get stuck hunched over. Sansa smiled at the thought.

“It went good. Real good. Maddie had a blast.” _I had sex with Petyr._ She almost wanted to tell her, to lift some of the weight off her shoulders. Secrets felt easier to deal with when someone else was in on it with you. 

“Where's Harry?”

“New York. He left yesterday. He got that promotion then had to go meet some potential new money-maker.” Arya got a funny look on her face, one Sansa couldn't quite place but it felt an awful lot like suspicion. More likely it was just her own guilty conscience. “What happened?” she whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean...you look like shit, you slept half the day and Harry is MIA. Plus I'm getting this weird vibe off you right now. Something happened.”

Sansa glanced up the stairs nervously, making sure Maddie was not coming down, and took a hearty drink of coffee. What was Arya going to think of her? Would she tell Harry? No, no she would never do that. “Well...when we got home yesterday I invited Petyr in. Plus Maddie had passed out in the backseat so he carried her in for me.”

Arya's brows furrowed. “Go on.”

“It started raining so I told him to stay a bit and see if it lightened up so he wouldn't have to go out in it. He was sunburned too, from being at the beach, so I got the calamine lotion and helped him rub it on his back. One thing-”

“Stop. One thing lead to another? Is that what you were going to say?” Sansa shrugged helplessly. “God Sansa...you had sex with him?”

“Yeah.” Okay maybe telling her wasn't the right thing to do because now she felt worse. “It just happened.”

Arya shook her head disbelievingly. “Wow. Who initiated it?”

“I _may_ have.”

“Where was Maddie when this happened?”

“Passed out. Trust me it wouldn't have happened if she had been awake.”

“Are you going to tell Harry?”

“God, I don't know. I know I should but he'd divorce me.”

“No he won't. He'll forgive you. I mean, so long as it was an isolated incident if you catch my drift.”

“Fully caught.”

“What is it about this guy anyway? I mean don't get me wrong he's not unattractive but what is it that made you risk your marriage?”

Sansa wasn't sure she could put it into words or that they even made words that would encompass it. “I can't explain really. I mean, I was insanely attracted to him-”

“Still are apparently.”

“But it was more than that,” she continued, ignoring the jab. “Somehow we just fit even though it made no logical sense. When I was with him the chaos in my head just melted away and it was just him and me.” Arya's eyes looked...sympathetic? Sad? “I don't know what or why, Arya. It just is.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing because he's still a wanted criminal unless he turned himself in and spent the last five years in prison, which I doubt. It doesn't matter what I want. What matters is what's good for Maddie.”

For a moment there was just silence between them, Sansa sipped at her coffee and she supposed Arya was just taking it all in. Her younger sister had never been one to play by the rules but adultery? That wasn't exactly her thing either. Rule breaker, yes, but loyal to a fault.

“Well, I gotta get going. I promised Gendry I'd do his laundry today.”

Sansa shook her head and smiled a little. “You're awful.”

“What? He knew what he was getting into. I'm not the housewife type. I'm not his wife at all.”

“Yet.”

“Whatever. Anyway I also wanted to see if I could take Maddie to a movie tonight, maybe she can stay at my place after. I mean, if she wants to.”

“Of course she’ll want to. Why do you want her to spend the night though? You don't usually do overnights.”

“Well, I did tell you I would once she was out of diapers and she's been out of diapers for two years so I kind of owe you one. Plus, I figure you could use the time alone. Get your head straight. And decide what you're going to tell Harry.”

"You're going to take her to school in the morning?"

"Yup."

That actually sounded pretty good. Put on some music, pour a glass of wine, take a bubble bath and possibly top it off with a book. “Yeah, that actually sounds like a solid idea. What time is the movie?”

“Starts at 5:45.” She said as she hopped down off the stool. She was considerably shorter than Sansa so it actually was a hop. “I'll probably pick her up about an hour before that so we have time to stop at a store and get some cheap snacks to sneak in.”

“Ever the rebel.”

“You know it. I’ll see ya in a few hours.”

After Arya left Sansa called Maddie downstairs, told her about Arya's plans, and asked her what she wanted to eat. When Maddie said she had made her own cheese sandwich, Sansa felt like she had officially won the Shit Parent of The Year award, but on the bright side at least her daughter was self-sufficient enough to stick a piece of cheese between two slices of bread. 

Maddie flew back upstairs to tear down her Lego mansion and Sansa grabbed a rag and started wiping counters and appliances down. Cleaning always seemed to calm her mind when it was raging, as if straightening the world around her was also organizing the mess in her head. She was about to start cleaning out the refrigerator of ancient leftovers when the doorbell rang. 

“Shit.” It could only be one person. It was too early for Arya and Arya wouldn't have rang the bell anyway. Sansa didn't really have friends. On occasion she would go out to lunch with Margaery, her neighbor, but Margie always texted before showing up. Jehovah's Witnesses? Hopefully. 

Sansa threw her cleaning rag on the counter and went to get the door. When she opened it Petyr stood on the stoop, hands in his pockets. He was wearing form-fitting black slacks, with a navy button down rolled up to his elbows. Why was he so dressed up? Then she remembered she was still in sweats and a tank top, her hair flying around everywhere, and self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday.”

“You could have texted. Or called.”

“I figured you wouldn't answer.”

“Yeah, well you're probably right about that.” No he wasn't, she would have answered, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself.

“Can I come inside? Maybe say hi to Maddie?”

“I'm not sure that's a good idea.”

“Why? I'm not going to ravage you with our daughter awake.” His lips spread into that mischievous grin she had always loved and she couldn't help but smile back. 

“Fine. Just for a bit.”

“Okay.”

She stepped aside and allowed him to walk across the threshold, his scent immediately engulfing her as he passed. Petyr had never been big on overwhelming colognes but he always smelled clean and fresh. Nostalgia hit her like a battering ram and she zoned out for a moment. Cold nights spent under the sheets with his warm body pressed against hers. 

“Are you going to close the door...or did you change your mind?”

“Oh...yeah. Sorry, I guess I zoned out. Still not quite awake yet.”

Maddie came barreling down the stairs. “Who's here, mommy?” Her face lit up when she was far enough down to see Petyr. “Petyr! Did you come to play with me again?”

“I may have. What did you have in mind?”

She pursed her lips (much like Petyr did all the time) and scrunched up her little nose. “How do you feel about coloring?”

He crouched down to her level. “As it happens I am a master colorer.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I got a whole coloring book published.”

“Woooow.”

Sansa couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips. “Oh stop. He's just joshing you, sweetie. Go upstairs and grab your crayons and books and you guys can color at the kitchen counter.”

“Okay.” Maddie zoomed back up the stairs. 

“I'm going to go change-”

Petyr stood up and waved a hand at her. “Don't change on my account. You look beautiful.”

“I look like a rag doll.”

“Like I said, beautiful.”

She rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head, and hoped her cheeks weren't turning red as she felt the heat of a blush creeping into her cheeks. “Why are you so dressed up anyway? Yesterday you wore jeans and a tee-shirt to play with Maddie." 

“I had a meeting this morning.”

“Oh. Getting back in the game already?”

“No.” He stared at her, not offering anything more. 

“Well, what then?” she asked, curiosity now getting the better of her. 

“I'll tell you when I know it's a sure thing.”

She wanted to keep asking questions, was dying to know what he was up to if it wasn't his old ways, but Maddie came back downstairs with her books and crayons. “Do you want Shopkins or Paw Patrol?” she asked Petyr. 

“Hmmm. Which one is more manly?”

“Probably Paw Patrol.”

“Then I'll take the Shopkins.” Maddie giggled and handed him the bright pink book.

“Are you hungry?” Sansa asked. “Maddie already ate but I haven't, I was going to make some eggs and toast.”

“Starving actually. I didn't eat this morning.”

“Well, come on then.”

 

Petyr and Maddie sat at the island while Sansa got out her pot and pan, eggs and spatula. She listened to them chatter and giggle as she prepared the food and it warmed her heart that the two had taken to one another so quickly. When she had first found out she was pregnant with Maddie, she had worried about what sort of father he would make. Sansa's own father had been gentle and kind, noble and honest. Petyr was gentle with _her_ but there was undoubtedly a coldness to him, there had to be in his line of work, and him having already been forty-four when she met him, she assumed if he had wanted children he would have already had them. But now here he was, sitting and coloring with his daughter like any average-joe dad. 

“Okay, da-” Sansa stopped mid sentence, realizing what she had almost said. Petyr obviously noticed too as his head snapped up from the page he was coloring and locked eyes with hers. _Daddy._ She had almost said _Daddy has to take a break and eat._ “P-Petyr has to take a break and eat, Maddie.”

“Okay, I’m going to keep going.” She didn't look up or say anything else and Sansa breathed a sigh of relief that her daughter hadn't caught the slip. 

_How did that come out so naturally?_ She grabbed their plates, sitting down across from Petyr, and slid his to him. 

“Wow. I've never seen eggs quite like these.” 

“What do you mean?”

The soft-cooked scrambled eggs were piled high on top of a thick slice of sourdough toast, sprinkled with freshly chopped chives. “Just looks pretty fancy compared to the eggs I remember you making,” he answered, grabbing his fork and digging right in. 

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

She watched him chew and swallow, closing his eyes for a moment before speaking again. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” Now she was convinced he was intentionally attempting to flatter her. 

“They're delicious. I mean I know it's just scrambled eggs but usually I get overcooked crap from that diner by the motel. The toast too...it's amazing. Simple but the flavor…”

“I don't beat them before. I beat them in the pot with real butter. I also don't keep them on the heat the whole time. Add the salt at the last minute or it makes the eggs watery, a little bit if Creme Fraiche to keep them creamy, and call them done before they actually are. Because they continue to cook for a bit even after they’re off the heat. The toast I don't put in a toaster, I toast it in a skillet.” He stared at her. Just blatantly stared and she couldn't quite read his eyes, they looked both soft and intense at the same time. “Stop,” she said, turning her attention back to her food and fighting the heat ebbing into her cheeks. 

“Sorry, I just can't believe it. I ate your eggs many years ago and they were nothing like this. Do you remember the first time you cooked for me?”

“How could I forget? Fish and chips. I almost burned the house down.” She smiled at the memory though at the time she was humiliated. 

“You almost burned a house down, mommy?” Maddie asked. 

“I did.”

“No way. But you're such a good cook.”

“Well, I wasn't then. I had to learn to be a good cook once I had you. Couldn't have you eating frozen pizza all the time.”

“Though I'm pretty sure you used to burn those too,” Petyr added and Sansa laughed. A hearty, happy laugh, and when she looked at him he was beaming. 

“Petyr, shut up and eat your food.”

“Yes ma'am.”

 

After they ate Sansa excused herself to go take a shower. In the back of her mind she heard Harry telling her not to leave Petyr and Maddie alone together but Sansa knew Petyr well enough to know he wouldn't hurt that little girl, nor would he try to run off with her. She knew because she could see that he loved her already, just by the way he looked at her. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her and taking her from her home would hurt her terribly. 

_Did he really believe he was protecting me by leaving?_ He must have or he wouldn't have done it. As she let the warm water run down over her face she knew she was already beginning to forgive him. The Lannisters would have killed her to get to him but with him dead she was off their radar. Funny considering she was the daughter of the FBI agent who almost took them down, the FBI agent they had slaughtered in his own home, as well as his wife and oldest son. But they didn't know she was Sansa Stark, daughter of Ned Stark. Petyr knew though, and he also knew she wasn't safe with him. 

But forgiven or not it didn't change the situation. 

 

When she finished her shower, Sansa put on a pair of worn-in jeans, and a comfy t-shirt, and went back downstairs to find Maddie and Petyr sitting in the living room floor. He had his back against the couch and had taken off his shoes and socks, looking rather comfortable as Maddie sat next to him. Her small hand was in his and he was painting her nails a neon green. 

He glanced up when he noticed her watching. “I hope this ok. She said you let her paint her nails.”

“Yeah, just no makeup.”

“Absolutely not,” Petyr agreed. 

She walked over to get a look at his work. “Wow, you're doing better than I do. Why am I not surprised?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you're meticulous. You pay attention to detail and you've always been very well groomed for a man.”

“Now who's handing out compliments?”

After Maddie's nails dried she wanted Petyr to play Shoots And Ladders. Then she took him upstairs and showed him her Shopkins collection, her Frozen dolls, made him sit down for a tea party, followed by a round of hide-and-seek. Sansa had to hand it to him, he was keeping up, most people would have had enough already, herself included. Maddie was coaxing him into going outside to play cops and robbers when the front door opened. 

“Hello, hello. Auntie Arya in the house.”

“Shit, is it 4:45 already?” Sansa said to Petyr. They were back in the kitchen. 

Arya found them and she didn't look at all surprised to see Petyr standing there. Obviously she had noticed his car in the driveway. Sansa wanted to kick herself for losing track of time. She wanted to have him gone before her sister showed up. “Petyr, this is my sister, Arya. Arya, Petyr.”

“Yeah I know who he is.” She reached out to shake his hand. 

He smiled and took her hand. “Its nice to finally meet you.”

“Yup. Is Maddie ready?”

“Arya is taking Maddie to a movie and they're going to have a sleepover,” Sansa explained to Petyr. “And no I haven't packed her bag, I lost track of time.”

“I can see that.”

Petyr looked from one woman to the other. “I'll go help her.” Clearly he felt the tension in the room and figured Arya had something she wanted to say without him around. “Maddie, you want to show me where your things are.”

“Yup. You can help me decide if I should take Mr. Bear or Mr. Dinosaur.”

After they were up the stairs and safely out of earshot, Sansa looked to Arya to find that she was throwing daggers with her eyes. “What is he doing here?”

“He just showed up.”

“He just showed up? You could have told him to leave.”

“Yeah, well, Maddie seen him and wanted to play with him. Was I supposed to tell her no? That's all he's been doing since he got here. Nothing else happened.”

“What I'm worried about is what's going to happen after she leaves.”

“He's going to leave. Why do you hate him so much?”

“Ugh.” Arya shook her head and put her hands on her hips and Sansa knew what came next wasn't going to be pretty. “I didn't say I hated him, although if I did, I would have good reason since he broke your heart five years ago and left me to pick up the pieces. My issue here is that you're going to throw away the life you’ve built and a marriage with a good man for a guy who might have to disappear and break your heart _again_.”

“What makes you think it would break my heart if he left again?”

“Please.”

Sansa was grasping at straws and she knew it. Just like she knew Arya was right but she couldn't bring herself to concede. “Look Arya, I know what I'm doing.”

“Do you know _who_ you're doing?”

That was a low blow and Sansa felt her heart picking up speed, rage setting in. She was about to counter back at her sister but the sound of laughter filled the room as Maddie and Petyr came back downstairs and rejoined them, Maddie with Mr. Dinosaur under one arm and Petyr with a pink backpack slung over one shoulder. 

“She's all set,” he said. If he noticed hostility in the air he didn't let it show. 

“Toothbrush and toothpaste?” Sansa asked.

“Yup. And an extra change of clothes, just in case.”

“Okay kid, let's get going,” Arya said. “We gotta stop for snacks to sneak in.”

Sansa and Petyr followed them to the door and Maddie gave her mom a hug and they said their _I-love-yous_. Petyr handed Maddie her backpack and ruffled her hair. “I’ll see you later, ok?”

“Okay.” She got down the steps and stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and walked back up to Petyr. “You forgot.”

“Forgot what, sweetie?”

“My hug.”

For a moment Petyr appeared frozen and Sansa was afraid Maddie was going to get her feelings hurt. Were his eyes tearing up? He was in shock, she realized, and she gave him a little nudge with her shoulder to snap him out of it. Then he squatted down and hugged his daughter for the first time. When he let go Maddie kissed him on the cheek. 

“Ouch, that's rough.”

“Is it? I'm sorry, maybe I'll shave it off, just for you.”

“Okay. Bye Petyr. Bye mommy, I love you.”

Petyr stood up and walked back into the house without another word. Sansa waited until Arya's car was out of sight before she closed the door and went to find him. He was in the living room, on the couch, with his head leaned back and his eyes staring at the ceiling. “Are you okay?”

He raked his fingers through his hair and let out a breath. “Yeah. Tired.”

“It's busy work keeping up with a five-year-old.” _Don't sit down beside him, don't sit down beside him, don't sit down beside him!_ She did it anyway. It felt natural. The entire day had felt natural, domestic, normal. 

He turned his head to look at her, a soft sleepy expression on his face. Tenderness in his eyes. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being her mom. Taking such good care of her.”

Sansa felt the blush she had been fighting all day make its way up her neck and onto her cheeks. She couldn't look him in the eyes and instead found herself focussing on his lips. Soft lips, gentle lips, unforgiving lips. Lips that had done so many filthy, torturous, wonderful things to her body. She felt that exquisite heat erupt in her stomach, and when his tongue darted out to lick the objects of her attention, it extended down to her core resulting in that first needy throb. 

“Come to bed with me,” Petyr said, bringing her focus back up to his eyes which had already changed, already darkened with desire. Had he known what she had been thinking as she stared at his lips? Of course he had and it had gotten him thinking about the same thing. He lifted his head, even leaned in closer. 

“I can't,” she said weakly. The worst part was knowing that she wanted to. Knowing that she wanted to cheat on her husband. Again. Truth be told she had wanted to all day, as she watched him be a father to their daughter, as she played house with him and forgot that her husband even existed. 

“So you’d rather I take you right here on this couch again?” 

_Take me?_ ”No.” _Take me._

“I didn't think so,” he said and he crashed his lips to hers. 

His kiss was not gentle, it was rough and urgent, and she kissed him back with equal fervor, her hands immediately going to his head, her fingers raking through his hair. When he moaned into her mouth the heat between her legs intensified into molten lava, melting her completely. She didn't stand a chance. 

He broke their kiss, his breathing already heavy. “Bed. Now.”

All she could do was not her consent and he stood, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet. He nudged her out in front of him to lead the way but held onto one of her hands, and as she lead him up the stairs to her room her heart raced in anticipation, her legs already feeling weak knowing what was to come. He was a predator behind her and she was giddy at being his prey.

They didn't bother closing the door and as soon as they crossed the threshold he turned her around and kissed her. His arms wound around her, pulling her body against his, and the heat from him was intoxicating, and the feeling of his hard angles pressed to her soft curves. She wanted to feel more and her fingers found the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one by one as he devoured her lips, walking her backwards towards the bed. As soon as the last button was undone she pushed the shirt off his shoulders and her hands found purchase on his chest, ribs, stomach. God she loved the way he felt beneath her fingers. Harry was all muscle and he shaved what little chest hair he had. Petyr was slender and had soft black and grey hair littering his chest and leading a path down to his navel. 

He moaned from the skin-to-skin contact, another thing she loved about him. His soft whimpers and moans had always intensified her own arousal. Harry was too quiet. 

He pulled his lips from hers and just stared at her, his eyes alight with lust. “You're so beautiful,” he whispered, bringing his hands up to her face, cupping her chin and rubbing his thumb over lips, now bruised and swollen from his doing. 

At that moment everything slowed down. His words, the way he looked at her, were more than arousing, they were warming her heart and she felt tears brimming the corners of her eyes. He rested his forehead to hers and she could feel his warm breath against her lips as his hands moved down to the bottom of her shirt and slowly began to lift. Her entire body was tingling as he disrobed her. Lightheaded. On fire. It was wonderful. 

She felt like Jello, all soft and jiggly, but she managed to get her hands on his belt and unfasten it. She unbuttoned his pants and slid them over his hips so that they landed at his feet and he stepped out of them, kicking them to the side. At the same time he was unclasping her bra and as soon as she had her arms out of the straps she cupped the bulge straining against his black briefs and he moaned against her neck before taking a soft nip. 

He was so hard and just the feel of him through the fabric made her throb with need. She was about to pull him out but he shoved her back onto the bed and she gasped when she hit the cold sheets. Then he was on top of her, his head dipping to take a nipple into his mouth and the soft suction sent a jolt straight down between her legs. 

“Oh Petyr…” she moaned and he reached down to unbutton her jeans, immediately hooking his fingers under the waistband of the denim and her panties. She lifted her hips for him to get them off and he threw them across the room before returning his attention back to her breasts, taking the other nipple between his lips. 

“You taste so good,” he said, as he abandoned her nipples, now wet and hard in the cool air of the room, and kissed down her stomach. 

Sansa lifted her head to watch his descent and she trembled in anticipation as he neared the part of her that was now aching for his touch. Petyr grinned when she spread her legs for him and he dipped his head, biting her inner thigh, invoking a sharp hiss between her teeth. 

When he ran a thumb down her outer lips she whimpered. “Already so wet,” he whispered as his fingers spread her folds gently, just barely touching her. 

The teasing was driving her mad. “Petyr, please.”

At her words he ran his tongue through her slit, brushing that little bundle of nerves and her head fell back in ecstacy. Yes. He did it again but applied more pressure. Yes, yes! Finally he changed tactics to full on assault and ravaged her with his tongue, dipping into her entrance to draw out her juices and circling and sucking on her little nub. When he pushed a finger inside of her she bucked against him.

“Oh fuck,” she panted, feeling that sweet pressure building as his finger fucked her and his tongue lapped at her clit. He added a second finger and thrust both deeply into her, curling them to hit just the right spot, a spot he clearly hadn't forgotten. 

“Cum for me, Sweetling.” The deep timber of his voice combined with rhythmic motion of his fingers were sending her body into a frenzy. The spring was coiling tighter and tighter, she was close, so close. She was writhing, her hips pushing down onto his fingers, matching him stroke for stroke. “That's it's baby, let go. Cum for me.”

And just like that she went over the edge, flung wildly into an abyss of pleasure. “Oooh...oh fuck…” Her knees were shaking as she tried to clamp them around his head, his hand. He slowed his thrust but didn't stop until she was done. 

With her head back and her vision still a bit white, she felt him move, knew that he was taking his briefs off, and when he got back onto the bed and nestled himself between her legs, she felt the hard heat of his erection pressing against her sex. 

She looked up and met his eyes, eyes so dark with hunger. Petyr grabbed his cock and ran the tip through her slit and she whimpered when it rubbed her still sensitive clit. He aligned himself with her entrance and pushed the head in before laying down and settling himself against her, chest to chest. 

His hands went to her face, cupping her jaw. “I love you,” he whispered, and at the same time he crashed his lips to hers, he thrust his cock all the way inside, and Sansa felt so full she thought she could cum again already.

He set a slow, steady pace pushing all the way in and pulling almost all the way out, all while kissing her lips, her face, her neck. Every stroke stoked her fire and they were both panting. “Oh Petyr...oh…”

His slow thrusts were sweet torture, her body begged for more but he gave just enough. Just enough to continuously heighten that pressure but keep the explosion at bay. It was heaven. She held onto his hips as he pumped into her and her head swam with stars. How long could he keep this up? Did it matter? It was fantastic. 

He groaned and lost his rhythm for a moment and she knew he was getting close. “Cum in me, Petyr.”

“Ooooh...fuck, Sansa." Suddenly he grabbed her face and made her look in his eyes, held her head in place. That's when she felt herself losing control again. He didn't speed up, he didn't pound into her, he kept on with the slow motion of his hips. But the eye contact- the eye contact did her in. 

Her mouth went slack as it hit her, wave after wave of pulse-pounding pleasure. She was moaning, taking deep breaths. It almost sounded like she was crying but it didn't matter because it was the most shattering orgasm she had ever had. Before it was over Petyr grunted loudly, almost like an animal, and she felt him stiffen, felt his seed spill inside her sending another racking jolt of pleasure through her body. 

“Mmm…uugghhh” he cried as her walls clenched his cock, pulling him deeper. 

He rested his forehead against hers, slick with sweat, his breath hot and heavy on her face. For a while they just lay there, regaining composure and when he finally pulled out of her she felt empty with the lack of him. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, they both started at the ceiling, not ready to speak. Not quite ready to let go of the moment. 

What Sansa thought was going to be _fucking_ had felt a lot more like making love. Or was she confusing that with good sex? No, no they had definitely just made love. 

_Oh my God. In the bed my husband sleeps in._ What was she going to do? Why did she let this happen? Tears started coming, streaming down her face in torrents. When Petyr realized she was crying he rolled back over to face her, wrapping his arms around her. 

“Shhh….shhh…” he whispered, kissing away the tears that didn't seem to want to stop. “We’ll figure this out.”

She held onto him, hugged him for dear life. If only for a few moments she wanted to believe he was right.


	8. Precarious Situation

Petyr held her until she fell asleep and it occurred to him that he should leave, be gone before the morning came but he couldn't. She was going to be angry with him but this was the only place in the world he wanted to be. The day had been perfect, more than perfect, if that were possible. For a moment he had almost forgotten that it wasn't his home, that Sansa was married to another man, and that his daughter called that man Daddy. _It could be changed._ Not overnight, he knew that. It would take time but if Sansa still loved him, still wanted him, they could make this work. Surely she still loved him.

 

_”I should probably be grossed out that you were hot for my mom.”_

_“It was a very long time ago and we grew into two very different people.”_

_“I'll say. You became a criminal and she married a guy who put criminals behind bars.”_

_Petyr didn't have to mention the irony of their current situation. As they lounged in bed on a Sunday afternoon watching reruns of Mash, he found himself wondering if Sansa would be willing to marry him. He wasn't sure exactly when he had began falling in love with her but it had happened nonetheless. Maybe it was the night he had come home bloody and battered and seen the fear streak across her face when she momentarily though that it was his own blood. The realization that she was afraid for him struck his heart in ways he never imagined possible, not when he had thought his heart long iced over._

_Did she love him? He believed to his very core that she did even though neither of them had spoken the words aloud. She must be in love to stay because her superiors at the Bureau kept pushing for her to back out when she fought to go in deeper She fought to stay and stopped asking questions, stopped digging for information, stopped being an FBI agent and became his actual girlfriend. Oh how beautifully she fit the role too. She would talk to him about his colleagues and subordinates, often giving very sound advice, and even more shocking was that he had begun to listen._

_Even more shocking was the attachment he had begun to feel for her. How his heart ached every time she had to meet with the Bureau, while he sat outside waiting for her to come out and tell him that it was over, that they were forcing her to pull out. How he burned, wondering if she would actually go. He willingly fed her information, not enough to put himself behind bars, but enough to convince them that she was making progress, enough to let her continue her investigation. In truth she spent most of her time investigating Petyr's body and he loved every perfect minute of it._

_How had his greatest thrill of the day gone from seeing the zeros in his bank account multiply, to doing anything he could to see her smile? It was frightening, truly, for what if she did not feel the same? Would he be able to withstand another rejection? Many years before Sansa was born Petyr had known Sansa's mother, Catelyn, and had in fact been in love with her. They were young, teenagers in high school, Cat two grades above himself. She had doted on him for a time, hanging out on the weekends, practicing kissing. All of which had lead him to believe that her feelings matched his own but unfortunately he was wrong. When Petyr found out that Catelyn was seeing Ned Stark, a first year at University, he was hurt and confused. When he approached her she had laughed at him, called him a silly boy, and it had crushed his heart completely. Of course a girl like Cat would never want a skinny, brainy boy like Petyr. She was beautiful and popular and Ned was everything Petyr never would be: big and brawny, tall and strong, righteous and selfless._

_Petyr swore off love from that moment on and focussed entirely on himself. He attended University for a while but in truth it was too easy and he quickly found there was far more money one could make without a degree and he would never win that way, not with their rules. So he had created a life with no rules, except his own. He had gotten a job working for Tywin Lannister as his personal accountant, Petyr being very god with numbers, and after saving up some of his income began some ventures of his own on the side. He had a knack for business and his personal favorite, manipulation. After a few years he peacefully parted ways with the Lannister clan to create his own operation. What a shame it couldn't have stayed peaceful but crime bosses didn't take having their toes stepped on and Petyr had done a lot of stepping as he climbed his ladder of success. The most recent infraction of taking on Oberyn Martell and wiping out the Lannisters hold on the cocaine market being the worst one yet._

_“What are you thinking?” Sansa asked, snapping Petyr away from his thoughts. She sat beside him wearing only a white T-shirt and panties, twirling a strand of that beautiful red hair around her finger._

_“I was thinking…” Fuck it, he thought, let's see what happens. “I was thinking that...I love you. I've fallen in love with you.” Her eyes widened and she took a breath and for a moment Petyr wanted to punch himself in the face. Why would something so exquisite love him? And she was so much younger than he was. Sex with an older man was a fantasy of some but an actual loving relationship? An entirely different matter._

_She sat up straight and looked down at her hands, wringing them nervously. An eternity seemed to pass and she said nothing._

_“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that.” Petyr was about to stand, leave the room, give both of them a little space, when he felt her hand wrap around his wrist pulling him back onto the mattress._

_“No, I'm sorry. For hesitating for so long. Petyr, I...I’ve fallen in love with you too but…”_

_“But what?”_

_Tears began leaking from the corners of her eyes. “But this situation is fucked, isn't it?”_

_Petyr smiled, he couldn't help it. “No. No baby it doesn't have to be. Come here.” He held his arms open to her and she crawled onto his lap, wrapping her legs and arms around him and he hugged her back tightly, his face nestled against her own. “Shh...shh. I’ll figure it out, that's what I do.”_

_Never in his life had he felt so complete as he did in that moment. Sure, it wasn't the most ideal situation but she loved him and that was all that mattered. She loved him and he would do anything he had to do to make sure she never stopped._

_“I love you, Petyr,” she whispered against his neck._

_“Marry me.”_

_Her crying stopped and she pulled back enough to look into his eyes, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. “Oh my God, you're serious?”_

_“I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't.”_

_“You didn't ask, you ordered.”_

_“Well, that's what I do remember?” He reached for a stray strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. She was so beautiful all frumpy looking on a Sunday morning. He wanted a thousand more Sunday mornings with her._

_“How? I don't-”_

_“Just say yes, Sansa.”_

_She bit her bottom lip, attempting to hide the huge grin that was breaking out across her face. “Yes. I will marry you, Petyr.”_

 

Sansa's alarm went off at 6 am waking both of them up at the same time. She still seemed a bit groggy and slow moving, so Petyr reached across her body to her bedside table and shut it off. They were both still naked and the feel of her warm skin pressed to his gave him and immediate erection. Instead of moving back to the other side of the bed he wrapped his arms around her, nestling his face between her neck and shoulder. 

“Good morning,” he whispered against her skin. He half expected her to stiffen in his embrace, to react exactly as she had the night they had fucked on the sofa, but she felt loose and soft.

“Good morning.”

“What do you have to do today?”

“Um... Arya's taking Maddie to school but I have to go into work.”

Petyr whimpered and ground his erection into her thigh, desperately not wanting her to leave the bed. “Do you have to?” He pressed his lips to her clavicle and felt her hands come up to his head, her fingers stroking his hair. 

“Yeah, I have to. I mean, I am the boss, but Arya is going to flip her shit if she thinks I'm in bed with you instead of going to work.”

“But you _are_ in bed with me.” His hands moved around to cup her breasts, giving them an urgent squeeze. The previous night had been about taking it slow but they didn't have as much time now. He needed to get a fire going quickly but that wouldn't be too difficult, not that he was cocky or anything, he just knew that Sansa loved the way he fucked her or else she wouldn't have come back for more. 

“Petyr, I have to get moving.”

He grinned as he took a nipple between his teeth and she hissed from the pain. “I don't see you in any hurry to move.”

“Well…” It came out as more a of whine and he knew he had her. He dipped a hand between her legs to find her already slick with desire. 

“Turn over.” He moved off to give her room to flip but when she began to get on her knees he pushed her ass down. “No, flat on your stomach, legs straight.” She looked at him, grinning and biting her bottom lip. Of course he remembered it was one of her favorite positions. 

Petyr got onto his knees, straddling her thighs, and took his already rigid cock in hand, stroking himself a few times before searching out her entrance. He wasted no time, plunging into her with a guttural cry. “Fuck, that feels good.” She was still so tight even after all these years, even after having a child. 

Since they needed to be quick he wasted no time and began thrusting into her wíth abandon, feeling that wonderful pressure building already. She moaned beneath him and tried to push her ass up into him but he grabbed her hips and stilled her.

“Petyr...ooh...fuck me harder.”

He wouldn't deny her, not this time, and he thrusted into her as hard as he could, bottoming out each time. She was a mess beneath him, her body desperate to writhe but he wouldn't let her, so she settled for clawing at the sheets until he seen the corners coming off the mattress. The sounds of her moaning and the feeling of her heated grip around his cock was quickly sending him into oblivion, his body alive with electricity, pleasure rushing through his veins. “Damn baby,” he panted. “That pussy feels so good.”

“Oh God, don't stop.”

“Don't stop this?” he asked, pushing her shoulders into the mattress, spreading his thighs further to provide more leverage, and delving into her as hard as he could go. “Or don't stop talking about how good your little pussy feels around my cock.”

“F-fuck...both.” She was breathless. She was close. 

He dropped his chest onto her back so that he could put his lips to her ear, never stopping the brutal motion of his hips. “You like the way I fuck that little pussy don't you?”

“Mmm...yessss.”

“I'm gonna cum, Sansa. I’m going to cum so deep-” Before he could finish his sentence she cried out, her body fighting against the weight of his own, and her walls clenched him as her climax hit her. “Ahhh...fuck...oh fuck,” he spat and he exploded while she was still cumming around him, the motion of his hips slowing as he emptied himself inside her. 

“That was fun,” he chuckled after he’d collapsed onto her back, catching his breath. 

“It was but you need to get off me. I still have to shower.”

“You can skip the shower,” he said, rolling off her and onto his back. 

“Yeah just what I need, show up to work having Arya see me freshly fucked.”

“You look beautiful when you’re freshly fucked.” She rolled her eyes but her cheeks were tinged red and he couldn't help but wonder if Harry made her blush like that. Petyr propped himself up on an elbow and watched as she moved around the room, grabbing clothes. Such an idiot he was to walk away from something so perfect but if he hadn't...if he hadn't neither of them may still be alive. Or worse, they could have killed her and his unborn child and left him alive to suffer the agony. “Do you want to do something after work?”

“I don't know. Harry may be home. I haven't talked to him since yesterday. Fuck, he could walk in at any moment.”

“What would you say to him if he walked in that door right now?”

She turned from the dresser and looked at him. He could see the guilt and worry manifested in her every feature. “I don't know.”

“Would you tell him that you love me?” His heart began to race as he awaited her reply and he knew he was pushing his luck. “Or would you say it was a mistake and that it will never happen again?” A good minute passed and she said nothing. “You do love me, don't you?” A sad smile spread across her face and she moved back to bed where he still lay. She sat beside him and he sat up, taking her hand. “Sansa. Do you still love me?”

“Petyr, I love you. I never stopped loving you.”

His heart felt as though it may burst from his chest, a swelling so intense it caused an ache. But he was elated. “Fuck, I love you too.” Cupping her face in his hands he pulled her in and pressed his lips softly against hers. 

They should have heard the front door open, should have heard the footfalls on the stairs, but they didn't. They were too lost in one another. It wasn't until Harry stood at the door and said, “Sansa?”, that either of them registered that they were no longer alone. It was as if mentioning his arrival had breathed it into existence.

Sansa broke their kiss, her head snapping in Harry's direction, and for a moment they were frozen. The look on the other man’s face was pure agony, Petyr knew that look, but he felt no remorse. He only felt for his beloved, knowing she had not wanted Harry to find out this way.

Quickly she pulled the sheet from the bed, pulled it from Petyr, and covered her own nakedness. “Harry-I…” But her words stumbled and she was panic stricken. 

“Please don't say you can explain,” Harry said. “This is pretty self explanatory.”

Petyr almost grinned but thought the better of it. Sansa wouldn't like that. Instead he got up from the bed and found his pants on the floor, slipping into them rather leisurely as Harry watched. Let him get a good look at what his wife really wanted. Petyr had slept with married women before, way before Sansa, and their husbands usually became violent the moment they found out. He knew it wasn't the case this time. Harry’s eyes hid little and the man looked completely broken. Of course he was, losing a woman like her. 

“Harry...I'm sorry. I don't know- I don't know what to say.”

“Sansa…” His voice choked on tears. “Why? I've given you everything. I love you and...he's so _old_.”

“Not too old to-” Petyr started but Sansa cut his words off.

“Petyr, no. Harry-”

“Don't bother.” He turned from the door and went back down the stairs. Sansa pulled the sheet around her and tried to follow too late, Petyr heard the front door slam shut. 

He finished dressing, after having to hunt down his shirt that had somehow ended up underneath the bed, and went downstairs to find Sansa. She was sitting in the middle of the entryway with the sheet bundled around her and fat alligator tears pouring over her cheeks. He dropped to his knees in front of her and reached for her trembling hands but she pulled them away, wrapping her arms around her chest in a hug. 

“Everything is going to be okay,” he said, simply because he wasn't sure what else to say. Gloating wasn't really an option. 

“How can you say that?” She asked, her eyes snapping upward to meet his own, her voice thick with anger. 

“Because it will.”

“No. Maddie is going to come home and her father won't be here and I'm a mess.”

“You are a mess and you should stay right here. I'll go talk to Arya, explain that you won't be in today. I’ll take some of Maddie's clothes and see if she can keep her for another night.”

Sansa began sobbing harder. “Oh God, Petyr...you can't tell Arya.”

“Well, I can try to make something up but I may have to tell her. There's a chance Harry may go by the store before I get there and she’ll already know.”

“No.” She shook her head. “He’ll go to the batting cages and let off steam or go get drunk, maybe both.”

Petyr didn't like the sound of that at all. Drunk, angry men were usually a recipe for disaster and even though it didn't seem as though Harry had ever laid a hand on his family, it didn't mean he wouldn't. People were capable of anything when their hearts had been stomped on.

“Everything will be fine. I’ll get Maddie some clothes and I’ll talk to Arya. You stay here and relax until I get back. Clear your head.”

He helped her back up the stairs and into her room, leaving her to get dressed while he went to Maddie's room and got her a few changes of clothes. Remembering that Maddie had a difficult time choosing between Mr. Bear and Mr. Dinosaur, he went ahead and grabbed the stuffed bear, deciding she would definitely want it since she had to stay for an extra night.

When Petyr went back to Sansa's room she wasn't in sight but the sound of running water from the ensuite told him that she was in the shower. Hot steam engulfed him when he opened the door and for a moment he considered undressing and hopping in with her but it wasn't the time. “Sansa?”

“I'll be out in a second.”

Her voice sounded thick with grief and he knew she was crying. “No, take your time, I'll be back soon. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

A few moments passed where the only sound to be heard was that of the water running before she finally said, “Okay. Don't be long...please.”

 

Arya looked up at him through her eyelashes when he approached the counter and he wondered if she had seen him get out of his car through the window or if she waited to acknowledge all of the customers until they were literally face to face with her.

“Where's my sister? She’s supposed to be here right now and I don't suppose you're filling in for her.”

“Home. She's not feeling well so she asked me to ask you, if you could keep Maddie another night. I brought her more clothes. She doesn't want to risk Maddie becoming ill as well.”

She straightened from her formerly hunched position over the counter. “What happened?”

“I told you, she's not feeling well.” The young woman stared him down hard then, her eyes two dark pools of _I'm not buying your bullshit_ and Petyr thought that she would have been excellent in his former line of work. She was much harder than Sansa was, she had a wild fierceness about her that he couldn't help but admire.

“I don't believe you. If she was just sick she probably would have come in anyway or at least called me herself.”

The corner of Petyr's mouth twitched. He had told Sansa he would try to hide the truth but Arya was no dummy, he was going to have to tell her. If he didn't he had no doubt that she would march over to Sansa herself and reem her until she spilled. “Harry came home this morning. He uh...he caught your sister and I in a rather precarious situation.”

“By situation did you mean _position_?”

“Something like that.”

Arya let out a huff and slammed her palm onto the counter, rattling it's entire contents. “Fuck. What's the matter with you anyway? Why can't you just stay away? Sansa was perfectly happy until your ass showed back up.”

“Was she?”

“Yes. She was. Now you've ruined everything. Harry didn't deserve this, he's a good guy. Boring, yes, but reliable, dependable, brings in a good income.”

Petyr grinned. “Like you said, boring.”

She rounded the counter and had her finger pointed in his face then. He took a step back, trying not to laugh at the tiny ball of rage in front of him. It wasn't funny really, she was just so short. “Listen here you smug son-of-a-bitch-”

“That's hardly fair, you know nothing about my mother.”

“Uuuggghhhh. Stay away from her. Go back to wherever you can from. Leave them alone.” She let out a long breath and raked her fingers through her hair and when she spoke again her voice was more calm, steady. “Look, if you really love them...just go away. They’ll never be safe with you. You are going to have to run for the rest of your life, let them live in peace.”

Petyr felt a tightening in his chest. On the one hand he wanted to stake his claim, angrily. They were his. On the other hand he knew very well that Arya was just trying to protect her sister and her niece. “I may not have to.”

“May not have to what?” she asked, confusion in her eyes.

“Run. I have something in the works.”

“Does Sansa know this?”

“Not yet. I was waiting until I knew it was a sure thing. I had a meeting yesterday morning and I'm about...oh, I don't know, eighty percent sure now.”

“I don't understand.

“You don't have to. But soon I will be a free man.”

“Free from the authorities...or from all of those gangsters that want you dead?”

“Both.”

For a moment Arya said nothing. She leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest and Petyr waited. Through most of his life he had learned to care very little of what other people thought but this was Sansa's sister, his daughter’s aunt, and he needed anyone on his side that he could get. 

“I asked her to marry me once,” he offered. “Before...well, you know. She said yes.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because Arya. Because I really do love her. I have wanted to spend my life with her from the moment I first laid eyes on her. I made an incredibly foolish decision that I can't undo but at the time I thought it was the right one. I want to ask her to marry me again.”

“Whoa...whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you insane?”

“Probably.”

“Petyr...what about Maddie? You and Sansa go way back, sure but this is going to wreck her world.”

“I know. It's not something that could happen over night and either way I realize it will be difficult for her but this is going to be difficult for her no matter what happens. One day she is going to know that I am her father. She's bright...and strong.”

“You hardly know her.”

He let out a sigh. _That hurt._ “I’m aware but I've got the rest of my life to get to know her and I damn well mean to.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to pick Maddie up from school and keep her for the night. Sansa is a mess right now and I'm sure Harry will either go back home or call or something and she doesn't need to know what's going on. Not yet.” He held the bag out to her. 

She took it, or jerked it rather, out of his hand. “Fine.”

“Thank you.” He turned to leave but stopped at the door. “Arya?”

“What?”

“You want her to be happy right? Well, let her decide.” Closing the door behind him he decided he had one more stop to make before going back to Sansa. He had seen a fine jewelry store on his way.


End file.
